Drones: Who is making the new weapons of war?
We examine a rapidly expanding but controversial sector within the defence industry
Business Daily · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
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?
We hear from 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 we hear from a Russian who left his homeland as a teenager and now, from Australia, is developing the technology that helps protect Ukraine from Russian attack.
And a former Norwegian paratrooper tells us how he can help protect soldiers from drones.
Produced/presenter: Gideon Long
(Photo: Participants in the 'Wild Drones' tournament, organised by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city of Kamianets, Ukraine, 5 October, 2025. Credit: Maria Senovilla/EPA/Shutterstock)