An American company intends to produce Ukrainian unmanned naval boats of the Magura type for the first time inside the United States, as part of the White House's efforts to enhance military industrial capabilities and expand its arsenal of unmanned systems.

This step is based on a memorandum of understanding between the American company ReconCraft, headquartered in Oregon, and UForce USA, an American branch of a defense technology company linked to Ukraine. The partnership includes manufacturing boats from the Magura family, along with their software and command and control systems, according to Bloomberg.

Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military affairs analysis at the Defense Priorities research center, said the agreement represents "the first and most prominent advanced agreement" she has seen between the United States and a Ukrainian company in the field of defense procurement.

An Ukrainian unmanned boat of the Magura V7 class at an undisclosed location. May 15, 2025 - REUTERS

Fame of Magura boats

Magura boats gained widespread fame during the war in Ukraine, after being used to target Russian warships, oil tankers, and infrastructure in the Black Sea.

The specific model of Magura boats to be produced inside the United States has not yet been decided, as Joe Silkowski, co-founder of ReconCraft, said the details are still being finalized.

Silkowski explained that the agreement does not yet constitute a final contract, but he confirmed that work to establish the necessary infrastructure for producing these boats inside the United States is "already underway."

Nevertheless, it is still too early to assess the success of this partnership, as Kavanagh said it is unclear whether Ukrainian technology will be able to meet American production standards, particularly the strict regulations regarding supply chains.

She added that Ukraine relies heavily on Chinese components in most of its defense equipment, while the United States prohibits the use of any Chinese components in its defense technologies.

She pointed out that rebuilding supply chains locally or through allied countries is likely to make the production process slower and more expensive, which may diminish many of the advantages that Ukrainian technology enjoys.

ReconCraft has a track record of supplying naval boats to special operations forces, while the partnership is overseen by UForce USA CEO Sean Blanke, who previously served as the senior advisor for Coast Guard affairs to former US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.