Ukraine wants to strengthen its defense ties with the Philippines through a planned deal that could lead to the two countries making drones together.
Yuliia Fediv, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Philippines, said over the weekend that the two nations are working toward signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defense cooperation by October. A high-level group from Ukraine, including people from the Ministry of Defense, is going to Manila to meet with people from the Philippines.
Fediv stated at a seminar held by the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands, “The first step is for Ukraine and the Philippines to sign a defense agreement to set up the legal framework for the next steps.” “If we sign the MoU this October, we can start working together on production.”
Fediv says that a draft of the agreement has already been sent to the Philippine Department of National Defense and is waiting for a response.
“Ukraine is currently working on different models and proposals for drones for countries all over the world. These models and proposals show how we can work together and share our knowledge and technologies,” she stated. “You are a trustworthy partner in the area. That’s why we’re willing to share everything we have with you, both the good and the bad things we’ve learned.
Last week, Col. Andrii Bilenkyi, Ukraine’s first non-resident defense attaché to the Philippines, visited numerous military units in Manila as a courtesy. These included the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, and Philippine Navy headquarters. It is said that the talks were mostly about how the two sides could work together on technology, training, and building up their abilities.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has greatly increased its manufacture of drone defenses. Drones have been very important in the continuing fight, and both sides are using the technology that is changing quickly. Ukraine, which doesn’t have many surface combatants, was able to sink a lot of Russian Black Sea fleet ships using marine drones.
H I Sutton, an analyst and OSINT expert who writes for Naval News, said that Ukraine is the world leader in the practical use of drone boats (sometimes called uncrewed surface vessels or USV). He went on to say, “It has several companies that can design, build, and advise on surface drones.”
“Ukrainian-style drones could be a big problem for China, which has been getting more aggressive in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines will be outnumbered and outgunned by the PRC, even if they have bought a few new warships. But the conflict in the Black Sea has proved that small, cheap, unmanned platforms can change the maritime landscape and make it possible to weaken the power of a regular navy. It is a classic case of asymmetric warfare”. – H. I. Sutton
Some experts think that the Philippines can learn from Ukraine’s experience, especially when it comes to improving its asymmetric warfare skills to make up for its lack of conventional military capability. The Philippine military is upgrading its weapons right now so that it can stand up to China’s military power in the area.
In July, Philippine military Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced that they are looking into other military options, such as drones and other unmanned systems, to use as temporary replacements for submarines.
-Navy News
