Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones this year, - Fedorov
In 2024, Ukraine intends to produce thousands of long-range drones capable of delivering deep strikes against Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development - Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said this in an interview with Reuters, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
According to the vice prime minister, Ukraine already has up to 10 companies that produce drones that can reach Moscow and St Petersburg.
"The category of long-range kamikaze drones is growing - 300, 500, 700 and 1,000 kilometres. Two years ago, this category did not exist... at all," Fedorov said.
He noted that the recent spate of strikes on oil facilities reflects the Ukrainian government's progress in rapidly deregulating the drone market and increasing its funding, with the state acting as a venture capitalist.
The Brave1 initiative, launched by the government last year, has provided about $2.5 million in grants to military-technical start-ups, and this amount is set to increase about tenfold in 2024, he said: "We will fight for an even greater increase in funding."
Unlike in Russia, where the drone industry is dominated by the state, the vast majority of manufacturers in Ukraine are private. According to Fedorov, only one in 10 companies whose drones can fly in regions near Moscow or St. Petersburg is state-owned.
Ukraine's drone production and deliveries increased more than 120-fold in 2023, part of a broader effort to develop and produce wartime drones to close the gap with Russia's strike capabilities, Fedorov said.
"We need to act in an anti-bureaucratic way. This is the essence of a breakthrough in the war of technology. We will continue to bet on this, to work in this direction. Because technology can really save us," he said, noting the shortage of artillery shells faced by Ukrainian troops.
In total, more than 300,000 drones of various types were ordered last year and more than 100,000 were sent to the frontline, and these figures do not include volunteer deliveries, which, according to the expert, made a "significant contribution".
"We have removed the taxation of UAV components, simplified the contracting procedure and the decommissioning procedure. In other words, we took all the blockages that private companies faced and removed them in six months by adopting all the necessary laws and regulations," Fedorov said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set a goal for Ukraine to produce one million FPV drones this year, which are cheap to manufacture and are being used in large numbers by both sides on the frontline.
Ukraine's drone industry relies heavily on components from other countries, including China, which is widely seen as an ally of Russia. According to Fedorov, there are attempts to localise the production of components.
"So I think that if we continue this trend, by the end of this year we will have many companies that already produce more than 50% of their components locally," he said.
