Ukraine plans to produce 3,000 cruise missiles and 30,000 long-range UAVs in 2025 – PM Shmyhal

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that in 2025, Ukrainian enterprises plan to produce about 3,000 cruise missiles, drone missiles, and at least 30,000 long-range drones.

He announced this during a government meeting on January 3.

"Within the framework of the "Weapons of Victory" project, we will launch long-term contracts with manufacturers for 3-5 years. We will pay special attention to the long-range component and the missile program. The task from the President of Ukraine is to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones. Ukrainian enterprises also plan to produce about 3,000 cruise missiles and drone missiles," Shmyhal said.

He noted that the plans of domestic defense industry enterprises include increasing existing production capacities to $30 billion.

Meanwhile, the government is looking to implement the "Danish model," where partners will buy weapons from the Ukrainian defense industry to support the Ukrainian army. This is projected to attract over $1 billion by 2025.

According to Shmyhal, the government will prioritize the development of a shelter system inspired by the Finnish model in the security sector. He clarified that this would involve collaborating between the public and private sectors to establish a widespread network of dependable shelters. He also noted that these shelters would serve various purposes during times of peace.

It is worth noting that during the full-scale war in Ukraine, weapons production was increased. These include drones of various types, ammunition, missiles, armored vehicles, etc.

Ukraine is increasing the capabilities of its own defense industry and cooperating with allies to produce weapons. Joint weapons production is being launched in partner countries.

For reference:

As of August, in less than eight months of this year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has officially approved and used twice as many Ukrainian-made weapons and military equipment units for the armed forces as the entire previous year. In 2023, this number exceeded 200 domestic munition samples.

Some samples of Ukrainian-made weapons are unique in their characteristics, proven by the results of their use in combat conditions. For example, Ukraine is a world leader in some drone samples.

On August 24, during Independence Day celebrations, Zelensky announced the first successful combat use of the Ukrainian missile-drone "Palianytsia."

Also, on August 27, during a press conference at the "Ukraine 2024. Independence" forum, the president said that Ukraine had successfully tested a domestically produced ballistic missile for the first time.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine codified and allowed the troops to operate a defensive fragmentation grenade – an analog of the Soviet F-1.

As the full-scale invasion began, EU countries started ramping up their own weapons production capacities. However, progress has been slow due to the constraints of democracy and bureaucracy. As a result, while the Europeans have the funds, they lack the necessary military factories and capabilities. In contrast, Ukraine's factories operate at half capacity due to insufficient funding. In light of this, why shouldn't the EU invest in the Ukrainian defense industry? Rubryka explains how the West is investing in Ukrainian weapons.