{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","slug":"powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","url":"https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","title":"Powerus to import Ukrainian drone tech for Pentagon","subtitle":"Startup merging with firm backed by Trump sons aims to supply US military with foreign technology.","excerpt":"US drone startup Powerus plans to import Ukrainian technology to meet Pentagon demand. The company is merging with Aureus Greenway Holdings, giving Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump an indirect stake. Powerus has a contract with the US Air Force valued at up to $90 million.","category":"Business & Economy","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T04:05:28.770Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-01T02:58:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T04:05:28.770Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":86,"critic":95,"hype":15,"notes":{"trust":"Multiple named officials and regulatory filings corroborate the merger and stake details, raising trust to 86.","critic":"The reports explain Pentagon demand, quote key figures, give specific data and outline future plans, earning 95.","hype":"Language is measured and factual without sensational headlines, resulting in a low hype score of 15."}},"tags":["#Drones","#Pentagon","#Ukraine","#DonaldTrumpJr","#EricTrump","#USMilitary"],"entities":["Powerus","Aureus Greenway Holdings","Donald Trump Jr.","Eric Trump","Brett Velicovich","US Air Force","Pentagon"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["US drone startup Powerus plans to import Ukrainian technology to supply the Pentagon.","Powerus will merge with Aureus Greenway Holdings, giving Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump an indirect 9.9% stake.","Brett Velicovich, Powerus president, stated the company aims to be a 'one-stop solution' for the Pentagon.","Powerus reported $1.2 million in first-quarter sales and has a US Air Force contract worth up to $90 million."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Powerus, a US-based drone startup, intends to import Ukrainian and other foreign technologies to satisfy the growing demand from the Pentagon. The company is preparing to merge with Aureus Greenway Holdings, a golf course operator. This merger will result in an indirect 9.9% stake for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump through their investment fund, American Ventures."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Brett Velicovich, president of Powerus and a former US Army Special Operations intelligence analyst, described the company's ambition to become a 'one-stop solution' for the Pentagon by providing foreign-developed military technology with an 'American face'. The company has reported $1.2 million in sales for the first quarter of the year after assembling aerial and maritime drones. Powerus also announced a contract with the US Air Force valued at up to $90 million."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on early revenue"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"ZN.UA reported that Powerus had not generated revenue by early 2026. The Independent (US) stated that the company had no revenue-generating operations at the start of 2026. However, ZN.UA also reported that after assembling drones earlier in the year, Powerus announced $1.2 million in first-quarter sales. The Independent (US) also reported $1.2 million in first-quarter sales following drone assembly."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the $22.3 million commercial agreement Powerus announced to safeguard Middle Eastern energy infrastructure for an undisclosed client, as reported by The Independent (US)."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"ZN.UA Зеркало недели","url":"https://zn.ua/WORLD/dronnyj-startap-svjazannyj-s-synovjami-trampa-stremitsja-privezti-ukrainskie-tekhnolohii-v-ssha-reuters.html","headline":"The Drone Startup Associated with Trump's Sons Is Trying to Bring Ukrainian Technology to the United States.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T02:58:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/powerus-ukraine-drone-start-up-don-jr-eric-trump-b3059281.html","headline":"Trump’s older sons tied to drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for Pentagon","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T20:01:09.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent (US)","url":"https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/powerus-ukraine-drone-start-up-don-jr-eric-trump-b3059281.html","headline":"Trump’s older sons tied to drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for Pentagon","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T20:01:09.000Z"},{"sourceName":"unn.ua","url":"https://unn.ua/news/startap-rozrobnyk-droniv-poviazanyi-iz-synamy-trampa-maie-na-meti-pryvezty-ukrainski-tekhnolohii-do-ssha-zmi","headline":"Startup Drone Developer Linked to Trump's Sons Aims to Bring Ukrainian Technology to US","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T19:02:31.766Z"},{"sourceName":"WTVB","url":"https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/30/drone-startup-tied-to-trump-sons-aims-to-bring-ukrainian-tech-to-us","headline":"Drone startup tied to Trump sons aims to bring Ukrainian tech to US","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T16:53:03.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/drone-startup-tied-trump-sons-aims-bring-ukrainian-tech-us-2026-09-30","headline":"Drone startup tied to Trump sons aims to bring Ukrainian ...","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T12:20:06.551Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":50,"centre":50,"right":0},"count":{"left":3,"centre":3,"right":0},"totalSources":6,"untracked":0,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-10-01T05:15:32.712639+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-01T06:00:25.115Z","closedAt":null,"checks":8,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The left-rated reports led on the connection between the drone startup Powerus and the sons of former President Donald Trump. The Independent (US) highlighted that Trump's older sons were tied to the drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for the Pentagon. It noted that the Trump brothers hold an indirect interest via American Ventures, which is expected to retain a 9.9% stake in the combined business. The Independent (US) also mentioned Powerus's MatrixFold quadcopter attack drone failed to reach the leaderboard in the Pentagon's Drone Dominance program. Unn.ua's digest stated the startup developer linked to Trump's sons aims to bring Ukrainian technology to the US and is negotiating with Ukrainian drone manufacturers."],"centre":["The centre-rated reports focused on Powerus's plan to import Ukrainian technology and its merger with a company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. ZN.UA reported that the drone startup associated with Trump's sons is trying to bring Ukrainian technology to the United States. It detailed the planned merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings and the indirect stake held by the Trump brothers. WTVB's digest also stated that the drone startup tied to Trump sons aims to bring Ukrainian tech to the US. Both ZN.UA and The Independent (US) reported on Powerus's $1.2 million in first-quarter sales and its US Air Force contract."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"mixed":1,"high":4,"veryHigh":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"privateEquity":1,"mediaConglomerate":1,"independent":1,"corporation":2},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/drone-startup-tied-trump-sons-aims-bring-ukrainian-tech-us-2026-09-30","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T12:20:06.551Z"},"countries":[{"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","count":3},{"country":"Kyiv, Kyiv City Municipality, Kyiv City Region, Ukraine","count":2}],"outlets":[{"name":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/drone-startup-tied-trump-sons-aims-bring-ukrainian-tech-us-2026-09-30","headline":"Drone startup tied to Trump sons aims to bring Ukrainian ...","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T12:20:06.551Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"WTVB","url":"https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/30/drone-startup-tied-to-trump-sons-aims-to-bring-ukrainian-tech-to-us","headline":"Drone startup tied to Trump sons aims to bring Ukrainian tech to US","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T16:53:03.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":"Reuters"},{"name":"unn.ua","url":"https://unn.ua/news/startap-rozrobnyk-droniv-poviazanyi-iz-synamy-trampa-maie-na-meti-pryvezty-ukrainski-tekhnolohii-do-ssha-zmi","headline":"Startup Drone Developer Linked to Trump's Sons Aims to Bring Ukrainian Technology to US","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T19:02:31.766Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Kyiv, Kyiv City Municipality, Kyiv City Region, Ukraine","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/powerus-ukraine-drone-start-up-don-jr-eric-trump-b3059281.html","headline":"Trump’s older sons tied to drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for Pentagon","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T20:01:09.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Independent (US)","url":"https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/powerus-ukraine-drone-start-up-don-jr-eric-trump-b3059281.html","headline":"Trump’s older sons tied to drone firm importing Ukraine war tech for Pentagon","publishedAt":"2026-09-30T20:01:09.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":"The Independent"},{"name":"ZN.UA Зеркало недели","url":"https://zn.ua/WORLD/dronnyj-startap-svjazannyj-s-synovjami-trampa-stremitsja-privezti-ukrainskie-tekhnolohii-v-ssha-reuters.html","headline":"The Drone Startup Associated with Trump's Sons Is Trying to Bring Ukrainian Technology to the United States.","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T02:58:00.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Kyiv, Kyiv City Municipality, Kyiv City Region, Ukraine","repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Powerus to import Ukrainian drone tech for Pentagon\", https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/business/powerus-to-import-ukrainian-drone-tech-for-pentagon.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}