The CEO of UFORCE, a Ukrainian producer of attack drones, flew to Tokyo in April with a pitch for Japanese officials and defence contractors: build thousands of our drones to defend yourself and allies. Days earlier, US troops had used waterborne UFORCE drones to sink a ship during a secretive exercise held where the South China Sea meets the Pacific. And for years, the firm’s Magura surface vessel has helped turn parts of the Black Sea into no-go zones for the Russian navy.