Ukraine to mass-produce long-range drones for striking deep into Russia – Deputy PM Fedorov

According to the Deputy Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science, and Technologies – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, in 2024, Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones. They will be able to strike deep into the rear of the Russian Federation.

He said this in an interview with Reuters.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that up to 10 companies in Ukraine already produce drones that can reach Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"The category of kamikaze drones with a long range of 300, 500, 700, and 1000 kilometers is growing. This category did not exist two years ago at all," Fedorov said.

He noted that the recent series of strikes on oil facilities reflects the progress of the Ukrainian government in rapidly deregulating the drone market and increasing its funding, with the state acting as a venture investor.

Under the Brave1 initiative launched by the government last year, about $2.5 million has been allocated to military tech start-ups in grants, and this amount is to be increased about tenfold in 2024; he said: "We will fight for even more increases in financing."

Unlike Russia, where the state dominates the production of drones, the vast majority of manufacturers in Ukraine are private. According to Fedorov, only one out of 10 companies whose drones can fly in the regions near Moscow or St. Petersburg is state-owned.

According to Fedorov, the production and supply of Ukrainian drones increased more than 120-fold in 2023, part of a broader effort to develop and produce wartime drones to close the gap with Russia's strike capabilities.

Fedorov agreed with the assessment of Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Intelligence, that Kyiv has achieved "certain parity" with Moscow in producing long-range drones.

"We need to act anti-bureaucratically. This is the essence of a breakthrough in the technology war. We will continue to bet on it and work in this direction. Because technology can really save us," he said, noting the shortage of artillery shells that Ukrainian troops face.

More than 300,000 drones of various types were ordered last year, and more than 100,000 were sent to the front. These figures do not include volunteer deliveries, which, according to the expert, made a "significant contribution."

"We have removed the taxation of UAV components and simplified the procedure for concluding contracts and the decommissioning procedure. That is, we took all the blockages faced by private companies and removed them in half a year, having adopted all the necessary laws and regulations," said Fedorov.

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.