Inside Ukraine’s scramble for “game-changer” drone fleet

A Ukrainian serviceman holds an unmanned aerial vehicle at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

KYIV (Reuters) - At an unassuming industrial estate in northern Ukraine, two former Microsoft executives and a team of engineers are producing military drones that can travel over long distances and carry large payloads.

AeroDrone, which made crop-dusting drones prior to the war and now supplies Ukraine’s armed forces, makes unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 300 kilograms or fly up to several thousand kilometres in certain configurations.