By any metric, Ukraine's drone-making capabilities are the envy of the world. But not among some in the military industrial complex that only sees unwanted competition at production costs of a tiny fraction of the price they'd like to charge other countries for their more sophisticated products. To that end, one Armin Papperer inserted his foot in his mouth recently in an interview with The Atlantic, calling Ukraine's efforts "amateurish." Rheinmetall has since apologized for those comments, but not before incurring widespread ridicule.

Source: Politico (EU)

BERLIN — The head of German arms maker Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, drew scorn from Ukrainian officials and defense industry figures over the weekend after making dismissive comments about the country’s drone program.

In an interview with The Atlantic published March 27, Papperger dismissed Ukraine’s drone sector as lacking real technological breakthroughs. “This is how to play with Legos,” he said, before questioning: “What is the innovation of Ukraine?” He added that “they don’t have some technological breakthrough.”

Western media, including The Atlantic, have hailed Ukraine's drone program for "ma[king] artillery and armored vehicles look obsolete," while President Zelenskyy has boasted that his country is "building our own arsenal."

But Papperger contended that Ukraine's systems aren't as sophisticated as the products of major Western defense firms. “This is not the technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Rheinmetall,” he said.

By contrast, Papperger added, Ukraine’s decentralized drone production is amateurish. “It’s Ukrainian housewives,” he said. “They have 3-D printers in the kitchen, and they produce parts for drones … This is not innovation.”

His dumb comments.

And the quick walkback from his employer, Rheinmetall.

As they do, the Ukrainians responded with a flurry of clever memes.

And even Zelensky chimed in with this cutting remark.