Rheinmetall CEO criticized Ukrainian drones, called manufacturers "housewives with 3D printers"
Drone Industry
There is nothing innovative about Ukrainian drones, emphasized Armin Papperger, CEO of the German arms manufacturing company Rheinmetall, in a conversation with The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster. According to him, drone manufacturers in Ukraine are "housewives with 3D printers in the kitchen."
Shuster asked Papperger about the drones that Ukraine effectively employs to destroy heavy armored vehicles, which form the core of Rheinmetall's business. Following this question, the company's CEO erupted into a tirade.
"It is simply playing with Lego. What is the innovation from the Ukrainian side here? They do not have any technological breakthrough. They create innovations with their small drones and say, 'Wow!' — and that is great. Fine. But it is not the technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Rheinmetall," Armin Papperger emphasized.
In response, Shuster noted that Ukraine currently produces more drones than any democratic country in the world and asked if this could impact the business model of the German arms manufacturer. Papperger was indignant and asked to name the largest Ukrainian drone manufacturers. Simon Shuster cited the example of Fire Point, the manufacturer of FP-1 and FP-2 drones and Flamingo missiles, as well as SkyFall, known for its Vampire bombers and P1-SUN interceptors.
"These are Ukrainian housewives. They have 3D printers in their kitchens, and they produce parts for drones. This is not innovation," Papperger stated.
He also added that Ukraine will be unable to sell its drones to NATO because it will not receive the appropriate license, in part due to resistance from Western regulators.
As a reminder, in February, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that approximately 60% of strikes on the front are currently carried out by drones. The remainder is accounted for by artillery, which was traditionally considered the "god of war."
Since the beginning of hostilities in the Persian Gulf, governments of countries that have experienced strikes by Iranian Shahed drones seek to acquire Ukrainian interceptors that effectively protect Ukraine's airspace from similar threats. Read more about this in the article "The story of Sting: How 'Wild Hornets' created the drone interceptor everyone wants."
Among the results of his visit to the Middle East on March 28, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited the signing of three agreements regarding, in particular, the joint production of drones.
