- November 12, 2025
- 1:02 pm
- World News
American Guy Who Builds Drones for Ukraine: A Story from a Parent’s Garage That Changed the Front
Two years ago, in a quiet suburb of Indiana, 20-year-old Soren Monroe-Anderson began assembling drones in his parents’ garage. Back then, it was just a hobby — a typical engineering challenge, a sporting thrill. Today, his creations fly over the fields of Ukraine, helping the army hold the line of defense against Russian aggression.
From Hobby to Military Engineering
Soren and his friend, 24-year-old Ulf Hichwa, started as drone racing participants. They tried to sell their ideas to the US Army but faced bureaucracy. “You can’t just walk into the Pentagon and sell weapons if you’re twenty-one,” recalls Hichwa.
After rejections, they directed their knowledge to where technology truly determines fates — Ukraine.
Technology Born Out of Necessity
The first models assembled by Monroe-Anderson were far from ideal. But mistakes taught him more than any laboratory. He realized that on the front lines, it’s not glossy presentations that matter, but speed, reliability, and adaptability.
Working with Ukrainian volunteers and engineers, he created compact, fast, and cheap-to-produce drones capable of reconnaissance and delivering precise strikes.
Each new model was tested in real conditions — under the noise of artillery, where the cost of a mistake is measured not in time, but in human lives.
When Ingenuity Becomes a Weapon
Success came when his prototypes reached the hands of UAV operators of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Engineering innovations, honed in races, turned into an advantage on the battlefield.
Monroe-Anderson integrated systems into the drones that not only stabilize flight but also automatically return the device after completing a mission. A simple detail — but in wartime conditions, it saves resources and time.
His team quickly grew: from a garage workshop to a small laboratory where new firmware and engines are tested daily. In Ukraine, these drones have already been nicknamed “Soren birds” for their lightness, maneuverability, and distinctive sound.
Partnership Across the Ocean
The connection between engineers from the US and Ukrainian units today is built almost like a synchronous chain. Americans supply technology and software, Ukrainians — field experience and feedback.
Thus, a new format of international cooperation is born: without loud contracts and tenders, but with genuine trust and a common goal — to protect life.
The Future of Drone Warfare
Monroe-Anderson does not consider himself an arms dealer. “We don’t create death, we create a chance for survival,” he says. His projects are funded by private donors, and technical solutions are published in open sources so that Ukrainian engineers can refine them for their tasks.
Modern wars are becoming digital, and young inventors like Soren are the new face of resistance. Their weapon is not armored vehicles, but intelligence, speed, and the ability to foresee.
Ukraine holds on not only because of weapons but also because of people who do not remain silent when action is needed.
And somewhere in a garage in Indiana, the light comes on again — another drone for Ukraine is ready for takeoff.
NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency
