The United States will begin licensed production of Ukrainian Magura naval drones for the first time, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agreement was signed between Ukrainian company Uforce and American boat manufacturer ReconCraft, which specializes in building vessels for U.S. special operations forces.
Production will be based at ReconCraft's facilities in Oregon and South Carolina. In the initial phase, several hundred drones are planned to be produced annually, with plans to scale up to thousands. The value of the deal has not been disclosed. The contract was signed at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington last week.
Under the agreement, Ukraine will transfer not only technology but also access to software and drone control systems, as well as combat experience. According to Uforce CEO Oleh Rohinsky, this will allow the U.S. military to use tactics and solutions developed during years of war with Russia.
The Magura is an unmanned boat 7.5 meters long, capable of carrying over 770 kilograms of payload over a distance of more than 560 kilometers. Its cost, depending on configuration, can reach $500,000. The drone can launch aerial drones, conduct mine countermeasure operations, and detect underwater targets using sonar. The latest versions of the Magura are equipped with two missiles.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Magura drones have successfully struck about 10 Russian Navy vessels in the Black Sea. They also became the first naval drones to destroy aerial targets: a Mi-8 helicopter near Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea in 2024 and a Su-30 fighter jet near Novorossiysk in May 2025.
The deal is part of broader cooperation between Kyiv and Western allies in defense technology. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated his readiness to provide Ukraine with licenses to produce American Patriot air defense systems. The Pentagon also provided U.S. defense companies with a list of 12 Ukrainian drones for evaluation of potential production or joint development.