Ukrainian general calls US companies to test new weapons in Ukraine

Mobility tactics, advanced technology and a workshop mentality for fixing battlefield problems all point to Ukrainian success in fighting the Russian invasion.

But sustained success in the shadow of a mass Russian military mobilization announced on September 21 means Ukrainian forces need more and better training, arms and ammunition, especially as winter approaches, according to Ukrainian leaders.

Tying Ukrainian needs to the US defence industry, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense retired Maj. Gen. Volodymyr Havrylov at the annual National Defense Industrial Association Future Force Capabilities Conference had a straightforward pitch.

“If you have some ideas or some pilot projects to be tested before mass manufacturing, you can send it to us and we will explain how to do it,” Havrylov said, according to Defense News.

“And in the end, you will get the stamp, proved by the war in Ukraine. You will sell it easy.”

The deputy minister referenced unnamed startup companies already doing this, bringing not-yet-fielded products to Ukrainian procurement officials, especially anti-drone, and anti-jamming technology.

“And they come back with a product that is competitive in the market now because it was tested in a combat zone,” he said.

Havrylov spoke to an audience of hundreds of defence industry and US military acquisitions personnel after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the first military call-up since World War II of an estimated 300,000 civilians for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement comes after a series of humiliating defeats for the Russian military in the seven-month war. Western backers of Ukraine have called it a desperate move.