In order to meet the needs and requests of the Ukrainian army in the face of a full-scale invasion by the Russian aggressor, the Ministry of Defense aims to develop the market for drones of a wide range of applications.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated that the Defense Forces of Ukraine need hundreds of thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles of various modifications. He noted that during the 8 months of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, more UAVs were put into operation than in the last 5 years.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Reznikov met with more than 100 Ukrainian developers and manufacturers of UAVs. He emphasized the importance of supporting the Ukrainian UAV market, in particular, drones of a wide range of applications – air-ground-water.
“This is about adjusting the artillery, and about the task of defeating the enemy (strike drones), and about the delivery of ammunition, evacuation of the wounded, etc. Currently, the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine are measured by hundreds of thousands of UAVs of various modifications. The work to close the specified needs continues, in particular, in 8 months of a full-scale war, more UAVs were put into operation than in the last 5 years,” Reznikov noted.
The minister emphasized that the independence of the Military Industry is one of the factors of the country’s defense capability.
“And now one of the key directions of the Ministry of Defense is the development and support of the Ukrainian UAV market,” added the head of the Ministry of Defense.
In turn, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Volodymyr Koval, noted that the General Staff accompanies the issue of checking the performance characteristics declared by the manufacturer. The Minister of Strategic Industry, Pavlo Ryabikin, emphasized the already available effective equipment leasing programs for UAV manufacturers from the Ministry of Strategic Industry.
In addition, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov noted that the Ministry of Digital Affairs is currently working on additional funding for the UAV industry. Normative and legal work in the framework of simplifying the development process of UAV production also continues. Two drafts of amendments to laws and five amendments to resolutions of the CMU have already been developed.
The meeting actively discussed the need to create an Association that would represent the interests of manufacturers. In this regard, the position of both the producers and the minister coincided. Also, the Minister of Defense presented a number of manufacturers with certificates of registration of a standard item, which means admission to use by the military.
Production of drones in Ukraine
On January 28, 2023, it became known that the Ministry of Defense will begin large-scale purchases of Ukrainian-made drones. This year, they plan to spend 20 billion hryvnias on such goals.
In addition, the Ukrainian SHARK drone was modernized last December. Now the drone can conduct reconnaissance for twice as long. A more powerful battery allows it to stay in the air for up to four hours, while previously it could be in the air for no more than two hours.
Subsequently, Serhiy Prytula’s charitable foundation first showed the operation of the SHARK reconnaissance drone in the sky over occupied Donetsk.
