Pentagon uses Ukrainian Unwave’s EW to test UAVs in Drone Dominance programme: details of cooperation

The US Army used electronic warfare equipment from Ukrainian company Unwave to test FPV drones during the second phase of the Drone Dominance programme. Unwave was one of three manufacturers whose systems were used to assess UAV performance in an electronic warfare environment.

Following the competition, the Ukrainian company was invited by the US to participate in the next phase of Drone Dominance. Defender Media spoke to Unwave CEO Taras Bublyk about the company’s participation in the programme and its prospects for entering the US market.

How Unwave joined Drone Dominance

According to the company’s CEO, Unwave began discussions about participating in the programme in spring 2026 and received an official invitation from its US partners in June. The partners were coordinating the participation of Ukrainian companies working in counter-UAS technologies.

“The request involved Unwave taking part in trials in Colorado with our systems and a team of specialists responsible for deploying, operating and demonstrating them as part of the test scenarios,” Taras Bublyk said.

Unwave’s participation was supported organisationally by US company Revenant Technologies, which also helped develop the testing scenarios. Under the agreement, the company provided detection and electronic warfare equipment, while its American partners were responsible for logistics, organisation, coordination between manufacturers and the development of testing scenarios. Unwave is not currently disclosing the value of the contract.

The trials took place in late August. Unwave specialists worked through scenarios involving the protection of stationary and mobile assets and infrastructure from unmanned threats, creating conditions as close as possible to a real battlefield.

“We operated from three separate positions at short and significant distances. For security reasons, it is currently impossible to disclose more details about the scenarios we worked through. However, we can assess the performance of the tasks set as part of the training as successful,” Unwave said.

To export the equipment, the company obtained a temporary permit from Ukraine’s State Service of Export Control and provided the relevant technical documentation.

Which Unwave systems were used in the trials

At Drone Dominance, the Ukrainian company presented four electronic warfare systems: Vikha, Boombox, Shatro and Choven-2.

Vikha is a tactical-operational level electronic warfare system designed to suppress unmanned threats at a range of 7 to 12 km. The system supports remote control and can be integrated into air defence systems.

Boombox is designed to protect personnel and positions from FPV drones and drones carrying payloads. Shatro is mounted on vehicles and equipment, while Choven-2 is a multi-frequency signal amplifier designed to counter various types of UAVs and be mounted on vehicles.

The company is currently analysing the results of the trials and discussing further cooperation, including service support for trials and the testing of different scenarios for protection against unmanned threats.

“We received an invitation to take part in the next stage of the programme. Its format and terms are still being agreed, so we cannot yet disclose the location or other details,” Bublyk said.

According to Bublyk, the US side is interested in Unwave systems, although no specific procurement decisions or contracts have been made so far.