Conversations with drone companies, Ukrainian officials, and former US defense officials revealed that these unmanned aircraft are often costly, prone to technical failures, and difficult to repair. They are also apparently susceptible to Russian electronic warfare systems, causing them to deviate from their course and get lost.
According to Adam Bry, CEO of Skydio, which has supplied hundreds of its own drones to Ukraine, every class of US drone in Ukraine has a reputation for not performing as well as other systems. Therefore Kiev is increasingly turning to cheaper Chinese drones, such as those from SZ DJI Technology. Ukrainian companies, according to WSJ, rely on Chinese components for domestic drone production.