The US will produce Ukraine’s combat-tested MAGURA unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the first time under a new partnership aimed at expanding American autonomous warfare capabilities.
The effort was initiated through a memorandum of understanding signed between Ukrainian drone developer UFORCE and Oregon-based boat builder RECONCRAFT, marking a step to officially localize manufacturing of the naval drones on US soil.
The arrangement will concentrate activities at facilities in Oregon and South Carolina, with a long-term goal of building hundreds or potentially thousands of vessels annually, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The partnership was announced as the Pentagon continues to invest in affordable autonomous systems and follows America’s first combat use of USVs earlier this month during strikes on Iranian naval targets.
Providing ‘Greater Capability’
Beyond the MAGURA drone boats, UFORCE will make available unmanned aerial, maritime, and ground systems as the project extends, along with autonomy software and command-and-control technologies.
RECONCRAFT Co-Founder Joe Silkowski emphasized that collaborating with the Ukrainian enterprise “combines our manufacturing expertise… allowing us to deliver greater capability to American warfighters faster than developing a new system from the ground up.”
MAGURA USVs have played a key role in Ukraine’s naval campaign against Moscow’s invasion, helping push Russian warships away from the western Black Sea through repeated attacks on vessels and maritime infrastructure.
Latest variants of the platform can launch unmanned aircraft, conduct mine countermeasure missions, tow sonar systems, and engage larger airborne targets.
“Today’s combat environments show that autonomous warfighting capabilities are a must-have,” UFORCE CEO Oleg Rogynskyy said.
