General Cherry Will Manufacture Drones in USA in Partnership With Wilcox Industries

Ukrainian drone manufacturer General Cherry and the American corporation Wilcox Industries have announced the creation of a joint venture.

The partnership involves the launch of production of FPV drones and interceptors directly in the United States, the Ukrainian company told Militarnyi.

The Ukrainian side will provide combat experience and technological expertise, while the American partner will provide the scientific and technical base.

“The key goal of the partnership is to significantly improve and develop Ukrainian equipment and technologies by leveraging the partner’s best practices and scientific and technical infrastructure. We will use all available technical and component resources to jointly create the best drones in the world,” General Cherry representatives stated.

The joint venture will focus primarily on the U.S. market and fulfilling Pentagon orders. At the same time, the partners do not plan to limit themselves to these areas alone, as they are considering supplying other countries.

To comply with U.S. legal and security requirements, the parties agreed to localize component production on U.S. territory.

Additionally, the project ensures full compliance of the products with all U.S. market standards.

Specifically, certification under Blue UAS standards is planned, which is critical for the official use of drones by U.S. government agencies.

“We are very pleased and proud of our partnership with General Cherry.” Working with a company that stood up to the impossible and rose to the challenge when Ukraine’s sovereignty was under threat—that is exactly the spirit Wilcox wants to be a part of. For me, this is a lifelong mission—to build Wilcox from nothing but a vision. I have no doubt that combining Wilcox’s manufacturing capabilities and engineering resources with General Cherry’s technologies will bring significant benefits to the U.S.,” said James Titzel, founder and CEO of Wilcox Industries.

The project is currently moving into the approval phase. Before the joint venture is registered, the parties must secure support from the head of state and relevant institutions. According to a representative of General Cherry, they are currently working with the Ukrainian government and the president, and the entire process has been coordinated with the highest authorities.

As a reminder, the Pentagon invited Ukrainian companies to participate in the first phase of the Drone Dominance Program. Among the participants from Ukraine are the manufacturers General Cherry and Ukrainian Defense Drones Tech.

The first phase will conclude in early March, when orders for the delivery of prototypes worth approximately $150 million will be placed, with deliveries beginning shortly thereafter and continuing over the next five months.