Ukraine starts serial production of Shahed analog drones

Ukraine has successfully established serial production of a domestic analog of Iranian-made drones known as "Shahed," used by Russian forces to attack the country.

Dozens of these UAVs are now being manufactured each month, Forbes Ukraine reports, citing Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamishyn during the annual European Business Association meeting.

According to Kamishyn, the defense sector is making a significant contribution to the country's economy and is expected to become a leading sector in Ukraine's economy in the future.

"We've started serial production of what we call the 'Ukrainian Shahed.' Without disclosing the product's name, we are now producing dozens of them per month, along with many other positions that we used to produce in much smaller quantities, and now we have decent figures," said the minister.

He added that the government was not satisfied with just a tenfold increase in production: "We are satisfied with a tenfold increase and more. In many directions, we see growth."

Kamishyn stressed that the current focus was not on integrating the state arms manufacturer "Ukrainian Defense Industry" with businesses but on creating a state-owned plant to assist small private drone companies.

"In this regard, the 'Ukrainian Shahed' emerged at the state-owned plant," said the minister.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine already have over 20 new drone models of Ukrainian production. This year, the Ukrainian government allocated ₴40 billion for investments in Ukrainian drone manufacturers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced a new defense alliance, with several arms manufacturers from different countries having already joined.

The Ministry of Defense recently stated that weapons of Ukrainian production would reach the front lines more quickly, with a simplified production cycle and testing process during the war.

Joint production of weapons by Ukraine and other states

On September 28, the Ukrainian president and the French armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, extensively discussed further steps to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities with French support, including the possibility of initiating joint production of certain types of weapons.

German company Rheinmetall is also negotiating to build a tank factory in Ukraine. Kremlin threats to intensify bombings have not affected Rheinmetall's plans for this construction.

Earlier reports also mentioned that the "Ukrainian Defense Industry," together with the Polish company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, would jointly produce 125 mm tank shells. Ukraine and Poland signed the relevant agreement on April 5 this year.

Moreover, Ukraine, in collaboration with a NATO member, began producing 122 mm artillery shells, with the first batch already sent to the front lines.