Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, much of the international narrative centered around the extensive aid flowing towards Kyiv from Europe and the United States: the air defense systems, artillery, financial assistance, and intelligence support that have been critical to Ukraine’s fight for survival. This support is often criticized as one-sided, but the concrete benefits the U.S. and Europe reap from their continued aid to Ukraine have become increasingly clear. Beyond broad and existential objectives such as the protection of international law, sovereignty, and European security, Ukraine’s defense has become one of the world’s most valuable sources of operational knowledge about contemporary warfare. The United States’ current campaign in Iran reinforces the point that there is truly no substitute for experience.
Ukraine’s expertise against Iranian-style drones has become a strategic asset that can be translated into military, diplomatic, and economic leverage. The United States and its allies should recognize Ukrainian battlefield experience as a critical defense resource, incorporating Kyiv’s lessons into future force planning while ensuring Ukraine receives the capabilities necessary to continue developing them.
Innovation Under Fire
Since Russia’s invasion began, Ukraine has become the testing ground for modern combat tactics and technologies, particularly those related to unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS (C-UAS) operations. The scale of Russian attacks required Ukrainian forces to innovate and adapt quickly. Ukraine developed an entire domestic drone industry, outpacing Russia's centralized, bureaucratic defense-industrial complex that failed to integrate new technology as quickly as the Ukrainians. At this point, Ukraine has been battered by barrages of Iranian-designed Shahed drones for years, often reporting hundreds of attacks per day. A report by the Institute for Science and International Security stated that Ukraine was targeted by an average of 143 of these drones per day in January 2026, compelling Ukraine to develop a variety of methods to eliminate the drones such as lasers and AI-enabled interceptor drones. These methods are effective and cheap, as Ukrainian developers report a 92% success rate of intercepting Russian drones with technology that costs as little as $1,000.
Europe’s Drone Laboratory
The value of Ukrainian battlefield experience has been recognized long before bombs began to fall on Tehran. European countries have already formalized defense cooperation with Ukraine. For example, Kyiv deployed specialist teams to Denmark to share counter‑drone tactics and shape plans for a future European “drone wall” after incursions into Danish and Polish airspace exposed vulnerabilities. The European Union and Ukraine launched the EU4UA Defense Tech program to fund interceptor and radar technologies. At the institutional level, initiatives such as BraveTech EU and an EU Defense Innovation Office in Kyiv integrate Ukrainian defense‑tech firms into European research, production, and testing programs. These programs incorporate operational lessons from Ukraine’s counter‑UAS experience into European doctrine and procurement. Ukraine’s drone technology and tactics have proven highly effective and valuable to European allies. Demonstrated during Estonia’s Hedgehog military exercises last year, a 10-member Ukrainian Nemesis drone team decisively outperformed two NATO battalions.
America’s Foresight Problem
Unfortunately, the United States only recently recognized the value of Ukrainian expertise. Seven months ago, Ukrainian officials attempted to sell their drone technology to the United States, illustrating its protection of American forces in a potential conflict with Iran. The United States declined the offer, a decision which indicates a lack of foresight and a tactical oversight that appears increasingly consequential as U.S. forces confront many of the same drone threats Ukrainian forces have endured.
The Trump administration, which has often questioned the return on aid to Ukraine, is now up against the very Iranian drones that Ukraine has faced for years. So far, U.S. methods are insufficient and expensive. A Pentagon briefing revealed that the U.S. military is facing difficulties responding to swarms of cheap Iranian drones with expensive air defense systems, like the Patriot missile system which is more effective at countering missiles rather than drones. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, determined that “we’re pretty good at taking missiles down. What is much more problematic for us is the huge inventory of Iranian drones, which are hard to detect and hard to take down.”
While the effectiveness of the current American approach is concerning, so are the huge costs. Each Iranian drone costs around $20,000 USD to produce while the Patriot missiles used to shoot them down cost $3.7 million apiece. A report from CSIS put the cost of this war into the billions in just the first few days, and experts warn that the current output is unsustainable given limited U.S. stockpiles. Despite being the world’s leading military power with substantial experience waging war in West Asia, the United States lacks experience in drone warfare that has allowed smaller, conventionally weaker countries to hold their own against larger adversaries, the type of warfare that has allowed Ukraine to withstand Russia. This new type of warfare shifts relationship dynamics. The United States does not often seek knowledge from countries whose defense industries and militaries are dwarfed by their American counterparts. The United States has now backtracked on its prior dismissal of Ukrainian tech and is now looking to Kyiv for its expertise.
Ukraine’s New Leverage
The combination of Ukrainian expertise and growing costs of the United States’ war in Iran indicate a pivotal moment in the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship. It is the first time Ukraine has immediate, concrete leverage—a card to play that creates tangible benefits for both parties. While Europe had the foresight to consult Ukraine and incorporate its battlefield experience into their defense infrastructure, the cooperation was preventative, putting safeguards in place and developing technology for a future large-scale conflict or the expansion of Russian efforts. The United States, however, is in the midst of a conflict where Ukrainian expertise, as well as their inexpensive anti-drone technology, is urgently needed. The time-sensitivity of the Iranian conflict, with the United States quickly depleting their missile stockpiles, gives Ukraine leverage that it previously lacked.
In an era of transactional U.S. foreign policy, Ukrainian knowledge and battlefield-tested technology is a significant asset for Kyiv in light of the Iranian war. President Zelensky has expressed willingness to aid countries embroiled in the Iranian conflict, announcing that many, including the United States, have requested assistance with counter-UAS defense systems. Zelenksy adds that such aid must produce tangible strategic and diplomatic benefits for Ukraine, as well. Ukrainian knowledge and experience could be leveraged to prompt the United States to resume aid to Kyiv, as the Trump administration has not authorized any additional aid since returning to office. Zelensky has suggested an exchange between Ukraine’s interceptor drones for more U.S. Patriot air defenses, a scarce and expensive resource, to protect against Russian missiles. This trade would be mutually beneficial; the U.S. gains effective, battle‑tested tactics and training that reduce its reliance on expensive, ill-suited interceptors, while Ukraine secures additional defense systems and diplomatic leverage at a moment when U.S. support has paused. Ukraine already announced a business partnership with a U.S.-backed company in line with the Trump administration’s “deal-making” philosophy.
The Strategic Value of Experience
Beyond the U.S. and Europe, the Iranian war offers an opportunity for Ukraine to broaden its defense partnerships. Other countries affected by the conflict have reached out to Ukraine for support to update their missile defense systems, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Gulf states, which are well-funded and facing immediate threats from Iranian drone strikes, are willing to create mutually beneficial agreements with Ukraine, trading weapons and funding for Ukrainian expertise and anti-drone technology. In an era of non-committal U.S. support, broadening and diversifying its defense partnerships allows Ukraine to secure crucial military capabilities, ease the strain and uncertainty of its relationship with the U.S., and leverage battlefield-tested expertise to influence military technology development and strategic planning across multiple regions. These factors create the basis for long-term cooperation beyond Europe.
Ukraine’s expertise against Iranian-style drones is a valuable strategic asset that can be leveraged for tangible gains in aid, crucial air-defense systems, and security partnerships. By trading knowledge for military assets, Ukraine can strengthen its own defense while also strengthening the operational practices and technological development of allies in Europe, the Gulf, and the United States. As the only country that has endured long-term, large-scale drone warfare, Ukraine is leading the way in modern military innovation. The knowledge, strategy, and technology that Ukraine has developed are unique, invaluable leverage through which it can obtain crucial defense systems and forge lasting military partnerships. For Ukraine, the current crisis offers a rare opportunity to convert operational innovation and experience into lasting diplomatic, military, and strategic leverage. The United States’ operations against Iran demonstrates the consequences of failing to incorporate Ukraine’s lessons sooner. The future of warfare is already playing out on Ukraine’s battlefields, and the countries that fail to recognize and adapt to these lessons now will be unprepared for the conflicts of tomorrow.
Alexandra Huggins is a graduate from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies specializing in transatlantic cooperation and the role of multilateral diplomacy and global governance in advancing peace and security. Named a Rising Expert by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Alexandra has held positions at the European Union Delegation to the United States’ Political, Security, and Development Section, the Council on Foreign Relations’ International Institutions and Global Governance program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Global Order and Institutions program, and the International Crisis Group
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Irregular Warfare Initiative, Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, the Modern War Institute at West Point, the Department of the Army, the Department of War, or the United States Government.
Image courtesy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License through Wikimedia Commons.
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