For the first time, Moscow has directly targeted a US company during the war, The Guardian reports. No one was injured in the attack, and Terminal Autonomy produces AI-powered drones for deep strikes.
A Russian ballistic missile destroyed the production facility of the American drone company Terminal Autonomy in Kyiv, the British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing informed sources. According to the report, as carried by Ukrainska Pravda, this marks the first time Moscow has deliberately targeted an American company in the war.
Terminal Autonomy, registered in the state of Delaware in 2023, produces highly precise drones designed for "deep strikes." The aircraft are equipped with guidance systems resistant to Russian jamming signals, and according to the company itself, they use artificial intelligence that takes control in the final phase of flight once the adversary activates electronic warfare or blocks mobile connectivity. On its website, Terminal Autonomy states that its drones are already being used on the battlefield.
A source close to the company told The Guardian that no one was killed in the attack, which occurred during one of the recent Russian strikes on Kyiv last week. Terminal Autonomy and Ukraine's Ministry of Defence have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The attack comes amid intensifying US-Ukrainian cooperation on unmanned systems. In late July, the Pentagon acknowledged that the United States significantly lags behind Ukraine in drone production, and the two countries signed a declaration of intent paving the way for the export of Ukrainian aircraft to the US for military testing. In parallel, according to Politico, Kyiv has offered Washington and the Gulf states interceptor drones in exchange for arms deliveries. "We are ready to support those who support us," a Ukrainian official told the outlet, emphasizing Ukraine's vast experience and advanced technology in developing counter-drone systems.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with US television network FOX News, presented the latest estimates of Russian losses in the war: 1.6 million soldiers, of whom about 700,000 have been killed.
