Russian missile destroys US drone maker’s Kyiv factory

The plant produced deep-strike weapons designed to resist Russian jamming. No employees were killed in the attack

By Kevin Landor Laursen

July 31, 2026 1:14 PM

A Russian ballistic missile has destroyed a drone factory in Kyiv owned by US company Terminal Autonomy, hitting a facility that produced long-range weapons designed to operate despite Russian electronic warfare.

The strike appears to be the first time during the war that Moscow has targeted an American-owned company in Ukraine, The Guardian reports. No one was killed.

Terminal Autonomy was registered in Delaware in 2023 and produces AI-guided loitering munitions and precision weapons. Its deep-strike drones use guidance systems intended to resist Russian jamming, according to a person familiar with the company.

- The Russians don’t care who owns the manufacturing facility. It’s still a target, former senior US intelligence officer Anthony Vinci told The Guardian.

Russian state news agency Tass, citing the defence ministry in Moscow, reported that the destroyed plant manufactured the AQ-400 Scythe and smaller AQ-100 Bayonet attack drones.

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