Trump’s older sons tied to drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for Pentagon
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A U.S. drone startup, Powerus, plans to import technology from Ukraine and other foreign partners to help meet rising Pentagon demand, according to company leaders.
The business is set to go public by merging with a firm backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
Formed a year ago, the Florida-based enterprise is scheduled to merge in early October with Nasdaq-listed Aureus Greenway Holdings, a golf course operator.
The Trump brothers hold an indirect interest via investment fund American Ventures, which regulatory filings show is expected to retain a 9.9% beneficial stake in the combined business.
Powerus belongs to a growing portfolio of drone and defense technology investments backed by the brothers.
That portfolio includes XTEND AI Robotics, an Israeli drone maker that went public in early September after merging with a listed construction firm in which American Ventures held a stake.
Powerus executives and spokespeople for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump stated that the brothers are passive investors in Aureus with no operational role in the drone firm.
Still, Keith Kellogg, a Powerus advisory board member, former Trump envoy to Ukraine, and retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, said, "It never hurts to have their name on something."
Investors and businesses are seeking to capitalize on surging Pentagon and international demand for drones, following the war in Ukraine, which demonstrated the battlefield necessity of autonomous systems.
In interviews with Reuters over recent months, executives said they intend to grow through acquisitions, foreign partnerships, and domestic manufacturing.
The objective is to make Powerus an American partner that can import defense technology developed abroad, particularly in Ukraine, and produce it in the U.S.
Brett Velicovich, Powerus' president and a former US Army Special Operations intelligence analyst, said he wants the firm to serve as a "one-stop solution" for the Pentagon by supplying foreign technology with an "American face."
He added that Powerus is in discussions with Ukrainian defense technology companies to add capabilities such as long-range attack drones.
Velicovich, 42, has drawn praise from US President Donald Trump. After Velicovich discussed drones on Fox News last summer, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he "really knows his stuff."
Despite recent deals, the company remains in an early stage.
Incorporated last October, it had no revenue-generating operations at the start of 2026. After assembling various aerial and maritime drones through acquisitions early this year, it reported $1.2 million in first-quarter sales.
In March, it introduced its Guardian interceptor drones, which Velicovich said resulted from "joint development" with Ukrainians.
Its MatrixFold quadcopter attack drone failed to reach the leaderboard in the recent second round of the Pentagon's Drone Dominance program—a $1 billion effort to quickly deploy large quantities of low-cost attack drones.
Velicovich noted that the competition's electronic warfare requirements were especially challenging.
Powerus recently announced a US Air Force contract worth up to $90 million and a $22.3 million commercial agreement to safeguard Middle Eastern energy infrastructure for an undisclosed client. It added that it is in discussions with Gulf states.
During a mid-September trip to Pakistan, Powerus obtained a limited order from the defense ministry for aerial drones and support, while signing a preliminary agreement with the Pakistan Army on prospective cooperation. It also executed a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan Air Force, the firm told Reuters, declining to detail the arrangement. Pakistan's military did not reply to a request for comment.
In Islamabad, Velicovich told Reuters the goal was to combine US and Pakistani technology, adding that the firm was meeting local manufacturers. "We're looking at ways we could potentially even build that technology here," he said.
