Drones, AI put Ukraine at center of Europe defense show

Paris, June 19 (CNA) Ukraine's battlefield experience has made the country a focal point of this year's Eurosatory defense exhibition in France, with military planners and defense companies increasingly looking to Ukraine for lessons in drone warfare and military innovation.

Yaroslav Azhniuk, founder and CEO of Ukrainian drone company The Fourth Law, said that more than 70 military units currently use the company's products.

Ukraine's 12 years of war with Russia have given the country unmatched expertise, with lessons learned by soldiers, military units, and manufacturers continuously incorporated into new technologies, Azhniuk told CNA at the exhibition.

That experience has placed Ukraine at the forefront of a new wave of defense innovation driven by drones, prompting some observers to refer to the country as a "Defense Valley" akin to Silicon Valley, he added.

Azhniuk dismissed fears of a science‑fiction type AI uprising, saying that even swarms of AI‑enabled drones remain tools controlled by humans rather than autonomous decision‑makers.

The biennial Eurosatory exhibition, one of the world's largest defense and security shows, was held June 15-19 in Paris, attracting more than 2,600 exhibitors, including 10 Taiwanese companies specializing in drones, counter‑drone systems, and defense technologies, according to the organizers.

Drones and unmanned systems were among the dominant themes at the exhibition, reflecting lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine and other recent conflicts.

Shu Hsiao‑Huang (舒孝煌), an associate research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said the war in Ukraine and recent conflicts in the Middle East have accelerated the development of drones and counter‑drone systems.

Low‑cost interception technologies, including drones manufactured using 3D‑printing technology, attracted particular attention at Eurosatory, Shu said in an interview with CNA at the exhibition.

Meanwhile, Sheu Jyh‑shyang (許智翔), an assistant research fellow at INDSR, said Taiwan should deepen cooperation with European defense industries, as Europe is working to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains and strengthen defense collaboration across the continent.

Those trends could create new opportunities for exchanges and partnerships between Taiwan and European countries, Sheu told CNA at the exhibition.