On April 22, Reuters quoted multiple people familiar with the matter as saying that the U.S. military recently deployed the "Sky Map" anti-drone command and control system developed by Ukraine at the Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia to deal with increasingly frequent drone and missile attacks in the region. This move shows that Ukraine’s anti-drone technology iterated during the war is being introduced into the U.S. military’s defense system. It also highlights the loopholes in the U.S.’s air defense and missile defense coverage.
A damaged U.S. Boeing E-3 Sentinel airborne early warning and control aircraft rests at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia
Prince Sultan Air Force Base is approximately 640 kilometers away from Iran. Previously, the base was attacked by multiple waves of drones and missiles, including by Shahed.According to reports, the attack has killed at least one US military personnel, damaged a Boeing E-3 early warning aircraft, multiple KC-135 tanker aircraft, and destroyed a building used to support the THAAD system radar. In an effort to quickly improve defense capabilities, Ukrainian military officials have arrived at the base in recent weeks to instruct U.S. military personnel on the use of the "Sky Map" system to detect threats and initiate interceptions. The system, developed by Ukrainian company Sky Fortress in 2022, integrates radar and sensor data to coordinate counterattacks.
It is worth noting that about a month before the US military actually deployed the system, US President Trump publicly rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky’s proposal to provide anti-drone defense assistance on March 6. The Pentagon and the White House referred inquiries to U.S. Central Command, which manages the base, but Central Command declined to comment.
Currently, the Pentagon's counter-drone force has committed $350 million to strengthen defenses.In addition to introducing Ukrainian software platforms, Prince Sultan Air Base also deploys a mix of defense equipment, including Northrop Grumman's FAAD command and control platform and the RTX "Coyote" interceptor that just signed a $5 billion agreement with the U.S. Army. In addition, the Merops interceptor drone developed by Project Eagle, a company supported by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, has also been put into use at the base. However, people familiar with the matter revealed that the new interceptor faced challenges in early testing. A Merops drone lost control and crashed during testing at the base this month.