United to win: international cooperation can boost Ukraine’s drone production capacity to over 3 million annually

Ukraine can produce over three million drones annually thanks to its strong production capabilities and collaborations with global partners.

Suspilne reports that Anna Hvozdiar, Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries and Industry of Ukraine, said this during the Brave1 Precision hackathon.

"We have large enough production capacity to produce more than 3 million drones of various types today. We need financing for this," Hvozdiar said.

According to her, the state can cover only part of these needs, and foreign partners cover the rest. In particular, Canada agreed to purchase part of Ukrainian-made drones for the Ukrainian army. Negotiations are also underway with other countries, particularly the United Kingdom.

"We have sufficiently developed the production of various types of drones at the expense of both state and private capacities. More than a million drones mean more than a million ammunition is needed for them," Hvozdiar added.

The Ministry of Strategy is currently working on a series of drones equipped with ammunition, which will be essential for the Ukrainian army. Also on the agenda is the discussion of their integration. Hvozdiar stressed the importance of having a variety of drones to serve different purposes.

It should be noted that the Brave1 Precision hackathon took place from July 26 to 29. The event's purpose was to create the latest technologies that will help the Security and Defense Forces carry out combat operations with increased accuracy, efficiency, and minimal losses.

More than 400 innovators were presented at the event, as well as more than 500 representatives of the following institutions:

• State departments.
• Security and defense forces.
• Manufacturing companies.
• Business.
• Investment funds and other participants of the defense innovation ecosystem.

By the fourth day of the hackathon, participants with highly developed prototypes could test their solutions on the designated site.

Nataliia Kushnerska, the head of the Brave1 cluster, emphasized the need to utilize available weapons with greater accuracy when facing a stronger and better-equipped enemy force. 

Some of the main focuses of the hackathon included:

• enhancing guidance systems, 
• incorporating sensors for real-time data analysis, 
• and developing smart ammunition.

Along with the top-performing teams at the hackathon, Ukrainian officials will collaborate to expedite development so that the military can quickly utilize the finalized solutions against the enemy.

The jury reviewed and approved 48 projects before selecting the 12 finalists and awarded monetary prizes to enhance their products.

For reference:

On December 19, during a press conference, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that one million drones will be produced in Ukraine next year.

In addition to 1 million FPV drones, more than 10,000 medium-range attack drones and more than 1,000 drones with a range of 1,000 km will be produced in 2024.

Earlier, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine announced that a unique marine surface drone, "Sea Baby," was produced in Ukraine. The drones are produced in Ukraine, but the factories are underground.

Furthermore, Ukraine has begun mass-producing its own version of the Shahed drones, with the capability of manufacturing dozens of these drones in just one month.