Solutions to win: Ukraine achieves parity with Russia in long-range kamikaze drone production

Ukraine has now reached parity with the Russian Federation regarding the number of long-range kamikaze drones, and there are plans for an upgraded version of the MAGURA marine drone to be released soon.

The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said this in the "Slon" podcast.

"If we talk about the niche of Shaheds and long-range drones, I will simply quote Budanov. In an interview a few days ago, he said we have parity in these drones. I will say that this is true. We have up to ten manufacturers that produce long-range kamikaze drones," said the head of the department.

Fedorov also noted that the production of long-range drones is limited only by funding. But production continues to scale.

"Thousands of these drones can be produced. Thousands have already been made, and almost every day, something burns somewhere on the territory of Russia. And it can be scaled.

In half a year, we caught up [Russia, – ed.] in terms of quantity. Russia must understand that we will continue to expand, and we have only just begun," the minister emphasized.

The head of the department emphasized that Ukraine's partners are also watching how drones unload air defense systems.

In addition, Fedorov announced the appearance of an improved version of the MAGURA marine drone. As the minister said, a "new technological leap" in development is expected in 2024.

"We cannot show, but there is a boat that is a certain platform, and that is being prepared for new applications with new surprises," the minister said.

Furthermore, as per the head of the ministry, Ukraine has aspirations to scale up the production of electronic warfare equipment for the market, mirroring the success of drones.

For reference:

In March 2023, the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced that the Ukrainian army is actively transforming and gaining unique experience in the most technological war in history.

The Ukrainian market for the production of drones is actively developing; more than 100 companies manufacture drones in the country.

Earlier, the head of Ukraine's Security Service announced that a unique marine surface drone, "Sea Baby," was produced in Ukraine. The manufacturing of these drones takes place in Ukraine, although the factories are situated underground.

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, Ukraine has established serial production of the domestic analog of Shakhed UAVs. Dozens of such drones can be produced in a month.

Also, 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.

It should be added that the construction of the Bayraktar drone manufacturing plant continues in Ukraine. It is planned to produce more than 100 units of drones every year.