United to win: Ukrainian military firm launches UAV production in Slovakia

Skyeton, a Ukrainian company renowned for its ACS–3/Raybird–3 reconnaissance systems, has announced its expansion into Slovakia. The company will invest 3.5 million dollars in a new plant in the country.

Defense Industry Europe reports this.

What is the problem?

In Ukraine, Skyeton's facilities can produce approximately 100 systems annually. However, the Ukrainian military requires 140 systems per year.

What is the solution?

Therefore, the Ukrainian company Skyeton, which produces unmanned aviation systems, is launching the production of drones in Slovakia.

The new plant in Slovakia helps bridge this gap and offers a strategic advantage.

Unlike in Ukraine, where the export of Raybird systems is restricted due to martial law, Slovakia does not have such limitations. This presents opportunities for Skyeton to enter the global market and grow its international customer base.

Skyeton intends to expand its production capabilities and meet the domestic and international demand for advanced reconnaissance UAVs with the new production facility in Slovakia.

How does it work?

According to the company's founder, Oleksandr Stepura, the investment in the new plant in Slovakia amounts to 3.5 million dollars.

Between February 2022 and May 2024, Skyeton secured an order for over 75 reconnaissance systems from the Defense Forces of Ukraine. In the spring of 2024, production at the new Slovakian plant commenced.

This plant has the capability to produce 25 systems annually, and once the investment phase is complete, the goal is to quadruple this capacity.

For reference:

The Raybird systems, which have been in use by Ukraine's military since 2018, are highly advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Priced at $1.2 million per system, each comes equipped with three UAVs, a portable ground control station, an antenna system, a launcher, and both camera and radar capabilities. With an impressive flight time of 28 hours, these UAVs can cover a distance of up to 2,500 km and reach a maximum altitude of 4,500 meters. Skyeton's Raybird stands out as the most cost-effective option of the five global UAVs with these capabilities.

During a press conference on December 19, 2023, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that one million drones would be produced in Ukraine next year.

By 2024, over 1 million FPV drones will be joined by at least 10,000 medium-range attack drones and over 1,000 drones that can cover distances of 1,000 km in production.

The drone industry in Ukraine is proliferating, with over 100 companies currently producing 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 production of these drones is located in Ukraine, but the factories are located underground.

In addition, according to the Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine has established serial production of the domestic analog of Shahed UAVs. Dozens of such drones can be produced in a month.

Moreover, engineers from Kryvyi Rih have begun mass-producing domestic strike UAVs in the style of the Cobra aircraft, with a flight range of up to 300 km.

It is worth adding that the construction of the Bayraktar drone production plant continues in Ukraine. It is planned to produce more than 100 units of drones every year.

Ukrainian drone manufacturers are already capable of producing up to 150,000 units of products every month, and by the end of 2024, they plan to produce a total of 2 million drones.