Russian missile destroys US-owned drone factory in Kyiv

A drone factory in Kyiv destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile on Friday was owned by a US corporation registered in Delaware, in what appears to be the first time Moscow has targeted a US-owned company since the conflict began. The Guardian reports that a source familiar with the company, Terminal Autonomy, said it used to manufacture precision "deep-strike" drones equipped with guidance systems designed to resist Russian electronic jamming. The term "terminal autonomy" refers to the final phase of a kamikaze drone attack, during which artificial intelligence assumes control of the weapon after defending forces jam radio frequencies or mobile communications. State records show the company was registered in Delaware in 2023. According to its website, Terminal Autonomy develops AI-guided loitering munitions and precision weapons that are already in active service against frontline targets. Terminal Autonomy did not respond to an emailed request for comment, while Ukraine's Ministry of Defence also did not respond. Anthony Vinci, a former senior US intelligence officer and author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America, said Russia was unlikely to distinguish between domestic and foreign ownership when selecting military targets, and would regard such manufacturing facilities as legitimate targets regardless of whether they were American-owned. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defence missiles. Vinci said he believed that any facility in Ukraine producing Patriot missiles or other American weapons systems would also become a target for Russian forces. Russia's state news agency, Tass, first reported the attack on Sunday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry. While the report did not disclose that the factory was American-owned, it stated that specialists from a Ukrainian-American company had worked at the site. Tass also reported that the plant manufactured AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet drones. According to a source familiar with the company, nobody was killed in the attack. CAPTION: Terminal Autonomy, after it was struck by the missile. PHOTO CREDIT: Ukrhaber