Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country is now capable of manufacturing up to four million drones annually, underscoring its commitment to boosting local production.
In his speech before the executives of dozens of foreign arms manufacturers, Zelensky revealed that Kyiv had already contracted 1.5 million drones in the first three quarters of this year.
This is well above its original target of one million drones in 2024, mainly for intelligence and attack missions.
The number is expected to rise further as the country builds a “virtually new defense industry” focused on rapid innovation.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, drone production was nearly non-existent in the now war-torn nation.
But “under extremely difficult conditions of the full-scale war,” Kyiv was reportedly able to triple its overall domestic weapons production in 2023 and doubled that again in just the first eight months of 2024.
“Years ago, the Ukrainian defense industry looked, unfortunately, helpless. But now, it is an industry that is on its way to becoming a leader, at least in Europe,” Zelensky stated.
Army of Drones
The surge in Ukraine’s drone production is linked to a program aimed at establishing a so-called “Army of Drones” to counter invading Russian forces.
With support from foreign partners, this extensive collection of war drones is helping the Ukrainian military monitor the 2,470-kilometer-long (1,535-mile-long) frontline continuously.
Many of these drones will also be used to carry out long-range strikes within Russia, as Kyiv continues to seek US approval to use donated weapons in such operations.
“Small drones help us scout the front lines. Bigger ones carry explosives deep into enemy territory,” Zelensky noted.
Additional Milestones
In addition to drones, Zelensky announced that Ukraine was able to increase its artillery ammunition production 25-fold in the first half of 2024 compared to all of 2022.
The country has also begun producing its own 155-millimeter artillery shells to quickly replenish its stockpiles.
Furthermore, the defense industry has scaled up production of both 5.45×39 and 5.56×45-millimeter ammunition for the Ukrainian Army.