At the beginning of July, the State Service of Export Control of Ukraine (SSECU) issued its first-ever authorization for the export of a batch of F10 strike drones to the United States. According to a representative of the manufacturer, F-Drones, the company has already shipped 2,000 drones to the U.S. under the signed contract.
F-Drones secured the contract after being selected among the winners of the first phase of the U.S. Drone Dominance program. “The export authorization is now in effect – the drones have already crossed the Ukrainian border,” a company representative said.
According to F-Drones, this marks the first time Ukraine has officially authorized the export of fully assembled domestically produced combat drones. Previous export approvals had generally been limited to individual technologies, components, or spare parts rather than complete weapon systems.
The company also noted that it obtained the export license before new government measures simplifying the export of defense-related products under martial law came into effect. F-Drones completed the entire approval process under Ukraine’s existing export control framework, receiving authorization from the interagency commission responsible for military-technical cooperation policy and export control. The procedure was coordinated by the state-owned company SpetsTechnoExport.
In February 2026, U.S.-based UDD Tech Corp, which represents F-Drones products in the American market, participated in the first phase of the Drone Dominance program, known as Gauntlet I. The trials were conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia. At the conclusion of the evaluation, the F10 system ranked sixth among 25 participants, secured a place in the program’s top 11, and was awarded a contract to supply 2,000 drones to the U.S. Department of Defense. UDD Tech Corp was also selected to advance to the next phase of the program.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian government introduced a new framework for the controlled export of domestically produced defense equipment and military technologies. According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, 20% of the revenue generated from exports of finished defense products and military technologies, along with 30% of revenue from exports of components, will be allocated to a dedicated state budget fund to support the development of Ukraine’s defense industrial base. The minimum value for export contracts covering finished products has been set at UAH 15 million, while no minimum contract value will apply to exports of components.
“The new mechanism will remain in effect for the duration of martial law. It establishes transparent rules for defense exports to partner countries under the Drone Deal framework, while ensuring that the needs of Ukraine’s Defense Forces remain the overriding priority,” Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko explained. Under the new rules, manufacturers will be eligible to export defense products if they can demonstrate that they are capable of fulfilling both domestic government contracts and export commitments simultaneously. However, export authorization may be denied if the Ministry of Defense or another state procurement authority requires the same products for Ukraine’s defense needs, or if the items are included on the government’s list of critical defense goods.
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Source: thedefender
