Ukrainian drone manufacturer General Cherry has announced a strategic joint venture with Wilcox Industries Corp., a Newington, New Hampshire-based defense equipment manufacturer, to establish production of FPV and interceptor drones in the United States.

Under the agreement, a U.S.-based joint venture will be established at Wilcox’s fully integrated production facility in Newington, with General Cherry’s engineering team leading development. The Ukrainian company will contribute combat-tested technology and operational expertise accumulated over four years of active conflict, while Wilcox provides manufacturing infrastructure and access to U.S. defense procurement pipelines. The partnership is explicitly oriented toward Pentagon orders and the U.S. market.

“We are pleased to have the unique opportunity to build production together, which will manufacture the newest means of defense and striking,” said Yaroslav Hryshyn, co-founder of General Cherry. “First of all we are focusing on interceptor drones as our flagship product.”

General Cherry, founded in September 2023, has grown to produce more than 70,000 drones per month across 33 codified products, including the Bullet interceptor — a 309 km/h fixed-wing VTOL system designed to engage Shahed-class attack drones — and the AIR series of counter-UAV interceptors. In February 2026, a General Cherry AIR interceptor destroyed a Russian AI-powered Klin loitering munition in what was the first confirmed interception of that system. The company has previously participated in the U.S. Drone Dominance Program.

“There is no doubt in my mind that combining our Wilcox manufacturing infrastructure and engineering resources with General Cherry’s technology will bring great value to our U.S. government,” said James Teetzel, founder and CEO of Wilcox Industries. Founded in 1982 and ISO 9001:2015-certified, Wilcox Industries supplies advanced tactical solutions to military and security customers globally.

The joint venture is currently in the approval phase. The parties must obtain support from the President of Ukraine and relevant Ukrainian government institutions before the venture can be formally registered. Production timing will depend on the outcome of those negotiations.

The announcement follows a broader pattern of Ukrainian defense-tech companies establishing manufacturing footholds in NATO member states. UkrSpecSystems opened a production facility in the United Kingdom in February 2026, Quantum Frontline Industries — a German-Ukrainian joint venture — began production in southern Germany in late 2025, and Skyeton has established production in Slovakia through a joint venture with UK firm Prevail Partners.