Russian missile destroys US firm’s Kyiv drone factory

A drone factory in Kyiv destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile on Friday was owned by a US corporation registered in Delaware, in what appears to be the first time Moscow has targeted a US company in the conflict.

Terminal Autonomy makes precision “deep-strike” drones with guidance systems that are resistant to Russian jamming signals, according to a person familiar with the company.

The phrase “terminal autonomy” refers to the final phase of a kamikaze drone’s attack in which AI takes over control of the weapon after the defending force jams radio waves or mobile service.

State records show that the corporation was registered in Delaware in 2023. The company’s website says: “We deploy AI-guided loitering munitions and precision munitions, which are already in active service against enemy assets on the frontline.”

Terminal Autonomy did not reply to an emailed request for comment. The Ukrainian defence ministry also did not respond to an email.

Anthony Vinci, a former senior US intelligence officer who wrote The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America, said: “The Russians don’t care who owns the manufacturing facility. It’s still a target. They don’t care if it’s American or someone else’s.”

Early in July, Donald Trump, who had previously been lukewarm to efforts to arm Ukraine, said the US would license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot anti-aircraft missiles.

Vinci said: “I do think if Patriot missiles or any American system was manufactured in Ukraine, I think the Russians would target that manufacturing facility.”

The Russian state news agency Tass first reported on the attack on Sunday, citing the Russian defence ministry as its source. The report did not disclose that an American company owned the factory but mentioned that “specialists from a Ukrainian-American company” had worked there. Tass accurately reported that the plant made AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet drones.

Nobody was killed in the attack, according to a source familiar with the company.