Drone manufacturers progress at tremendous speed – Ukraine's defense minister
The Ministry of Defense aims to provide the military with the maximum number of UAVs. Drone manufacturers are working "at a tremendous pace." For the successful implementation of the defense production strategy, Ukraine is looking for financing solutions and involves Western partners.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated this in an interview with Suspilne.
"According to the needs, we are now starting to purchase them [drones – ed.] and work with partners so that they will also send them as international technical assistance. We can fulfill the entire quantity that both the volunteers and the management have announced," said the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
He emphasized that the ministry's goal is to provide the military with the maximum number of drones.
After developing the plan for 2024, UAH 55 billion was allocated as the first tranche for drones for the army. The Ministry of Defense is working according to the plan — to speed up and increase the capacity of procurement and production, separately from the already approved 55 billion.
The minister stated that the Ministry of Defense will handle procurement in 2024. However, the funds were redirected to the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection under the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
"This year, we hope, we will transfer this commitment to the Ministry of Defense. But in order not to stop, since we are working for a common goal, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection placed orders directly with manufacturers," he noted.
In their turn, according to Umerov, the producers have been working "at a tremendous pace" in recent months because the transfer of this money, its receipt, and use fell in the last months.
The minister also did not rule out that the state will purchase all 50,000 of the 50,000 Ukrainian-made drones.
"Much more. The money was just recently transferred, and we are already starting to work. That is, there are, for example, 200+ types of drones, and there are several hundred manufacturers – until now, most of these manufacturers have not worked with such a number, and we have started to test them. Sometimes, we look at politicians and how to do it; we look at how to resolve the application issue doctrinally. Some drones are like FPV, there are bombers, there are sea drones – there are hundreds of them. We are looking at where and how to use them more effectively," the Minister of Defense noted.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, also said that to implement the defense production strategy successfully, Ukraine is looking for financing solutions and involves Western partners.
"In recent years, we have received enough weapons and military equipment to fight back and liberate almost 50% of the territory captured after February 24 to open the grain corridor," the minister said.
According to him, such results signal to partners that the Ukrainian army can recapture its territories, and ammunition or equipment should continue to work to advance the Defense Forces.
At the same time, Umerov noted that other conflicts in the world take resources from Western industries, and countries are beginning to compete to buy ammunition.
"To this end, we have developed a strategy for defense production in our country and launched programs for the defense-industrial complex to reduce the risk of supplying ammunition, missiles, and other items," the minister explained.
Specifically, the study focused on the abilities of the public and private sectors in issuing orders to the Ukrainian industry, creating employment opportunities, and kickstarting the economy.
The official also mentioned that they had prioritized and identified the specific defensive, offensive, and stabilization measures required by the Ministry of Strategic Industries. This includes determining how necessary weapons can be manufactured, the timeline for production, and the quantity needed.
"We have answers to all these questions, and we have a plan. Now we are looking at financial possibilities and, as the Ministry of Defense, we are giving contracts and guarantees that we will buy it," the minister assured.
In addition, he informed that tools have been developed for joint enterprises — foreign and Ukrainian.
"In 2023, we received many things in various categories: missiles, military equipment, ammunition, other – the nomenclature is huge. Every day, we receive and give to operational and strategic groups what is already being produced or completed. This list will grow. We are looking for a solution, how to finance it, and involving Western partners," Umerov summarized.
As reported at a press conference on December 19, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Ukraine will produce one million drones for the Defense Forces of Ukraine in 2024.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, the Minister of Strategic Industry, said that by 2024, Ukraine plans to produce 1 million FPV drones, more than 10,000 medium-range strike drones, and more than 1,000 drones with a range of 1,000 km or more.
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Earlier, the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, reported that the Ukrainian market for the production of drones is actively developing; currently, more than 100 companies manufacture drones in the country.
The State Special Forces recently reported that they had ordered hundreds of domestically produced drones from Ukroboronprom. They will be ready by the end of the year.
In addition, according to the Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine has established serial production of the domestic analog of Shahed drones. Dozens of such drones can be produced in a month.
And recently, in Ukraine, mass production of domestic strike UAVs of the Cobra aircraft type, developed by engineers from Kryvyi Rih, began: their flight range is up to 300 km.
In general, the shortage of artillery ammunition continues in Ukraine today; therefore, to compensate for the lack of shells, the country will increase the production of kamikaze drones.
