November 14, 2025

Drones: Who Is Making the New Weapons of War?

From Ukraine and Russia to Gaza and Sudan, drones have become a key weapon of war. Which companies are making them, and profiting from this rapidly expanding but controversial sector within the defence industry?

Stacie Pettyjohn, program director and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security joined BBC to discuss drone warfare. The program also featured a woman in Ukraine who used to own a flower shop in Kyiv, but who is now making drones to send to the front-line; and a Russian who left his homeland as a teenager and now, from Australia, is developing the technology that helps protect Ukraine from Russian attack.

Listen to the full interview on BBC.

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