Pretending Not to Need It, US Adopts Ukrainian Drone Countermeasures for Use in Arabia
The United States military has started adopting Ukrainian anti-drone technology in recent weeks at its main airbase in Saudi Arabia. This step follows a wave of drone attacks that damaged military facilities and killed at least one personnel.
One of the technologies being used is the Sky Map command and control platform, now deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base. This system is widely known for being used by the Ukrainian military to counter Russian drone attacks over the past four years of war.
Several Ukrainian officials are even reported to have come directly to the base to train US forces. Sky Map enables early detection of drone threats, including Iranian-made Shahed drones, while coordinating counterattacks using interceptor drones.
This US move reflects the acceleration of Ukrainian military innovations in drone and anti-drone technology that have been battle-tested. On the other hand, it also highlights gaps in the US air defence system.
“There has long been a gap in the US’s global air and missile defence coverage,” said Timothy Walton, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute, as quoted on Thursday (23/4/2026). “This is well understood. However, it has not yet been addressed.”
The use of Ukrainian technology comes shortly after US President Donald Trump rejected an offer of assistance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in dealing with Iranian drone attacks.
“We don’t need their help in drone defence,” Trump told Fox News on 6 March.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon continues to increase investments to counter drone threats. Last month, the Pentagon’s anti-drone unit allocated US$350 million, or approximately Rp5.95 trillion, to strengthen defences in Operation Epic Fury.
Spokesperson for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, Adam Scher, emphasised that there is no single solution to counter drone threats. “There is no ‘magic bullet’ tool that will stop every drone threat,” he said.
In practice, Sky Map functions as a software-based control centre that integrates radar and sensor data to map threats in real-time. The developing company, Sky Fortress, is said to have placed over 10,000 acoustic sensors in Ukraine to detect Russian drone attacks.
In addition to Ukrainian technology, the base is also testing various other anti-drone systems, including the Merops interceptor drone made by US company Project Eagle. However, initial testing has not always gone smoothly. In one incident, the Merops interceptor drone lost control and crashed into a facility at the base.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Prince Sultan Air Base has indeed been a target of drone and missile attacks, including Shahed drones. These attacks reportedly destroyed an E-3 AWACS radar aircraft and damaged several KC-135 refuelling aircraft.
For defence, the base relies on various systems, including the Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) platform from Northrop Grumman and the Coyote interceptor drone from RTX. RTX itself previously signed a US$5 billion (Rp85 trillion) contract with the US Army for the procurement of that system.