United to win: Japanese UAV manufacturer to provide Ukraine with humanitarian demining drones

The Japanese manufacturer of industrial drones Prodrone is preparing to supply its products to Ukraine for use in humanitarian demining operations.

The Japanese business publication Nikkei reported that.

What is the problem?

As of July 1, 2024, over 144,000 square kilometers of Ukraine are classified as potentially mined, up from 174,000 square kilometers more than a year ago.

"Since the beginning of the year, more than 200,000 hectares of fertile land have been surveyed, cleared of mines, and handed over to farmers so that they can sow and harvest again. Since the beginning of the year, the three most successful regions for demining have been Kherson, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv," Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's Prime Minister, noted in September.

What is the solution?

The company plans to supply Ukraine with drones capable of hovering at a height of 50 cm above the ground, which is ideal for searching for mines in hard-to-reach or dangerous areas.

How does it work?

A team of Ukrainian experts will create a new technology to aid in searching for mines.

With the integration of artificial intelligence, drones can identify and plot the location of detected mines onto an interactive map of the area. This innovative approach is expected to streamline and accelerate the demining operation significantly.

Prodrone plans to start supplying drones to Ukraine next year.

The company specializes in manufacturing drones for high-resolution photography, infrastructure inspection, and cargo transportation, and it is now expanding its capabilities for humanitarian purposes.

For reference:

In September, PM Shmyhal mentioned how Japan has provided Ukraine with extensive and invaluable aid, particularly in the humanitarian sector. By the end of the year, one-third of all demining machines in Ukraine will be made in Japan. Furthermore, Japan has been a major contributor in the medical field.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has officially authorized the distribution of a domestically produced impulse metal detector to the troops. The device, named "Khortych–1", was designed by Ukrainian engineers specifically to detect mines and other explosives.