The U.S. has assisted Ukraine in establishing a secret $1.5 billion drone development program.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled classified information regarding support for Ukraine in the development and production of drones.

Source. This was reported by The New York Times, which is referenced by The Moscow Times.

According to sources from the publication among American officials, part of the military assistance to Ukraine was kept secret and not disclosed; specifically, this included support for the development of a new generation of combat drones.

In September of last year, the U.S. allocated $1.5 billion for these purposes. Additionally, the U.S. sponsored Ukrainian drone manufacturers and financed the procurement of necessary spare parts, as well as sending intelligence personnel to allies to assist in the development of the program, sources from NYT claim.

American investments helped Ukraine establish large-scale drone production and strengthen the country’s capabilities in countering Russia's larger and better-equipped army, American officials noted.

“We have seen how drones are becoming increasingly significant in the war in Ukraine and will play a central role in future battles,” said U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday. He added that U.S. support has had a “real strategic impact” on the course of the war in Ukraine.

The head of the CIA, William Burns, also mentioned support for the modern drone production program in Ukraine, according to NYT. He stated that the U.S. has been exchanging intelligence with Kyiv and supporting “some systems that have proven to be very effective.”

Sullivan pointed out that the active development of new drones began after the first counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces in the fall of 2022.

The process continued in preparation for Ukraine’s second counteroffensive in 2023, which turned out to be less successful, partly due to the active use of drones by Russia. The 2023 counteroffensive became a “harsh lesson,” sources told NYT, as Russian drones targeted tanks and armored vehicles provided to Ukraine by the U.S. and Europe while they were attempting to navigate minefields.

Following the unsuccessful campaign of 2023, the U.S. rapidly increased support for the Ukrainian drone industry.

According to Sullivan, assistance to Ukraine in developing technological drones provided “priceless lessons” that the Biden administration began integrating into its own U.S. defense industry.

In addition to financial aid, the Biden administration worked on establishing connections between American tech companies and Ukrainian drone manufacturers, NYT adds.

It is also emphasized that last fall, the Pentagon allocated $800 million for drone production in Ukraine. The funds were used for the procurement of components and financing enterprises.

Biden informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about additional assistance of $1.5 billion during his visit to Washington in September.