Ukraine’s recent low-cost drone strike on Russian airbases has sounded alarms in Washington, with experts warning that the U.S. remains exposed to similar threats, especially from potential Chinese sleeper agents.

Cheap Drones, Massive Damage: The Ukraine Precedent

Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drones recently destroyed Russian strategic bombers parked thousands of miles from the front lines. The attack, costing Ukraine only tens of thousands of dollars, inflicted damage worth billions and highlighted the vulnerability of large, parked air fleets.

“The U.S. Air Force regularly parks B-52s, B-1s, and next-gen aircraft in open air, completely exposed,” said Jon Gruen, CEO of Fortem Technologies, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. “We’ve spent hundreds of billions on stealth platforms but left them vulnerable to low-tech aerial threats.”

U.S. Homeland Faces Growing Sabotage Risk

Gruen outlines a chilling scenario in which Chinese operatives already inside the U.S. could launch drone swarms targeting airports, military bases, and critical infrastructure. With 24,000 Chinese nationals caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in early FY2024 alone, he cites rising concern from the House Homeland Security Committee about possible infiltration.

“These drones could cripple America in under an hour,” Gruen warns, especially during high-profile events like the 2026 World Cup.

Trump Takes Action, But Legal Gaps Persist

President Trump recently signed an executive order expanding restricted airspace and establishing a national drone defense training center. However, the order stops short of empowering local law enforcement to act in real time against imminent drone threats—currently a major legal bottleneck.

Gruen and others back bipartisan legislation to allow trained state and local officers to deploy anti-drone systems during emergencies or at high-risk venues.

Industrial Shortfalls in U.S. Drone Defense Capacity

Another concern: the U.S. lacks the industrial base to rapidly produce defensive drones. Ukraine plans to procure 4.5 million FPV drones this year—far beyond U.S. production capacity. Gruen argues for executive action to expand drone manufacturing and sever reliance on adversarial supply chains.

“Drones have changed the game,” he concludes. “We need to change our strategy, preparations, and laws to match.”