Ukraine Out-Innovating Superpowers

In its five-year fight against Russia, Ukraine is not only scoring victories against one of the world’s most powerful militaries but also accomplishing military innovations that outmatch even those of the U.S. Two stories highlight the trend.

1) The Pentagon admits being years behind Ukraine’s drone manufacturing capabilities.

Travis Metz, who oversees the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, told Reuters on Monday that the U.S. is unable to match Ukraine’s drone production.

• Ukraine will have produced more than 6 million small, first-person-view attack drones by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Pentagon plans to order just under 200,000 drones by February 2027.

This isn’t a matter of America simply needing to scale up production. According to a revised supply-chain framework released July 23, the U.S. government wants the drone supply chain to become “wholly domestic.” Most drones currently rely on Chinese-made motors, batteries and other small parts.

• Shifting to all-American manufacturers is obviously desirable, but it will be challenging and expensive—if it’s even possible in a short amount of time.

2) Ukraine claims to have hacked Russia’s own defense systems to shoot down Russia’s high-tech Su-57 stealth fighter.

• In April, Ukrainian drones reportedly damaged two Su-57 jets in the Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Now, however, Ukrainian sources claim its security service hacked Russian air defense and caused it to down its own aircraft.

Using an enemy’s weapons system against it opens a new world of opportunities. As the Telegraph wrote, “If true, it would represent one of the most audacious intelligence coups of the war. … Throughout military history, superior intelligence has often proved more decisive than superior firepower.”

Goliaths beware: The modern battlefield is changing rapidly, and superpowers of the past century, especially those reliant on computer networks, should beware military surprises. Bible prophecy reveals that not Ukraine but another, much more superior military power that is keenly invested in Ukraine will surprise the modern-day Goliaths.