US deploys Ukrainian SkyMap system in Saudi Arabia

The US military has deployed the Ukrainian-made SkyMap counter-drone command-and-control system at the strategic Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Developed by Sky Fortress, the system uses a network of over 10,000 acoustic sensors to detect Iranian Shahed drones and direct interceptors. A team of Ukrainian military experts recently arrived at the base to train US forces on its operation. This deployment marks a policy shift, coming about a month after President Trump publicly rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky's offer of cooperation on countering Iranian drones. The move is reportedly driven by the vulnerability of expensive systems like Patriot to low-cost drone swarms, highlighted by the recent destruction of a US E-3 AWACS aircraft by a single Shahed.