Ukraine’s frontline experience is driving military innovation, with joint projects alongside the UK, US, Canada, Sweden, and NATO.

 March 7, 2026

Ukraine’s real-world combat experience, combined with Western industrial capabilities, is helping the country lead in military innovation, senior Ukrainian officials said at a briefing on Thursday, March 5.

Combat experience gives Ukraine an edge

Colonel Vitalii Dobriansky, head of the Central Directorate for Innovation Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told reporters that Russia’s full-scale war has given Ukraine an advantage in testing and developing innovative military solutions.

“Many armies around the world are preparing for future conflicts but lack real combat experience,” he said.

The briefing was also attended by Brigadier General Andrii Lebedenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Major Andrii Kovalyov, a media relations officer at the Public Affairs Directorate of the General Staff.

Testing on the front line

According to Colonel Dobriansky, most testing of new weapons systems is conducted in Ukraine. Collaborative projects with foreign partners allow Ukrainian forces to evaluate other countries’ military equipment in real combat conditions.

Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have agreements to test advanced systems abroad, partly due to regulatory and airspace restrictions in some countries, particularly for drone operations.

Dobriansky noted that Ukraine can provide “combat-proven” validation for new technologies while highlighting the challenges of international testing.

Andrii Kovalyov added that while many armies have advanced systems, they often remain theoretical due to a lack of combat experience. In contrast, Ukrainian developers directly integrate frontline lessons into practical innovations.

“In other words, the West has the industry; Ukraine has the ideas and the combat experience,” Kovalyov said. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine truly occupy one of the leading positions in innovation today.”

International cooperation

The colonel outlined Ukraine’s ongoing international partnerships and support for innovation:

• Monitoring and ensuring the availability of foreign technical solutions for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
• Interaction with NATO, the EU, the European Defence Agency (EDA), partner armed forces, and international innovation units.
• Bilateral meetings with foreign partners, with over 110 innovative projects considered so far.

Ongoing projects with key partners

United Kingdom

Ukraine and the UK are scaling up production of the Octopus 100 interceptor drones, aiming to produce 1,000 drones per month. Five additional projects fall under the “ORBITAL ODI WG” program, including exchanges in military training and education.

NATO

Ukraine is testing counter-UAV solutions within the “NATO Innovation Challenge.” The NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC) links urgent battlefield needs to agile technological responses, addressing operational threats faced by Ukrainian forces.

Canada

The “Urban C-UAS Sandbox 2025” project focuses on defending against drones and is part of Canada’s Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) initiative.

Sweden

Six projects have been selected to support Ukrainian Armed Forces needs. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) coordinates innovation cooperation with Ukraine, combining Swedish industrial capacity with Ukraine’s frontline experience. Areas of focus include autonomous systems and electronic warfare.

United States

Ukraine and the US are testing synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) on Ukraine’s Raybird-3 ACS “SKYETON” drone. SAR allows drones to collect intelligence in adverse weather conditions where optical or infrared sensors are ineffective.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71408