Ukraine develops new drones after China restricts Mavic exports

According to representatives from Brave1, Ukraine’s government-backed defense technology coordination platform, three Ukrainian developers have already produced drones that meet NATO standards. Some of these drones are already being used on the front lines by Ukrainian forces, officials said.

Business Insider noted that the Mavic drone, produced by China’s DJI—one of the world’s largest drone manufacturers—was initially designed for personal and commercial use. However, it has since become one of the most widely used drones in Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia.

“However, Ukraine has faced supply issues. In December 2024, Bloomberg reported that China had begun restricting exports of key components used in Ukrainian drones, including motors, batteries, and flight controllers. This, combined with high drone attrition rates—some units reportedly losing up to five Mavics a day—has forced Ukraine to seek alternatives,” Business Insider reported.

Ukrainian alternatives to Mavic drones

Officials from Brave1 told Business Insider that four drone models developed by Ukrainian engineers can perform reconnaissance missions. Unlike their Chinese counterparts, these domestically produced drones are equipped with communication systems that make them resistant to Russian electronic warfare (EW) countermeasures.

Oleksii Kolesnyk, founder of Reactive Drone, a Ukrainian military drone company, told Business Insider that his company’s drone, Shmavik, can fly for up to 60 minutes, has a range of approximately 15 kilometers, and can carry up to 1 kilogram of payload.

According to Kolesnyk, Shmavik is primarily designed for frontline reconnaissance operations and live video transmission from combat zones.

Maria Korneva, commercial director of the nonprofit Bravery Invest, told Business Insider that her company has developed Ukropter, an advanced version of the Mavic drone.

She explained that Ukropter has a higher payload capacity of about 1.8 kilograms, a longer flight time of up to 60 minutes, and can reach speeds of around 74 kilometers per hour.

For comparison, DJI’s latest Mavic drone has the same top speed as Ukropter, but its payload capacity is half that, and its flight time is approximately 46 minutes, according to DJI’s website.

Ukraine’s expanding drone industry

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 3 that Ukraine plans to manufacture at least 30,000 long-range drones and about 3,000 cruise missiles and drone-launched missiles in 2025.

Later, The Wall Street Journal reported that 2025 is expected to see the emergence of so-called “killer robot” drones on Ukraine’s battlefields, as artificial intelligence and automation take over more functions previously controlled by human drone operators.

On Jan. 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian drone manufacturers and reviewed new UAV developments.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced on Jan. 29 that it had launched licensed production of modern FPV drones at one of the country’s state-owned enterprises.