Umierov: Ukraine capable of producing several millions of drones annually, but funding insufficient
Ukraine's Defense Minister stressed the need for greater partner investment to fully utilize this potential, meet frontline demands, and eventually supply allies after the war.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umierov has announced that the country is capable of producing several million drones per year, significantly surpassing current budget allocations. He said it in a televised interview on 22 September, as reported by Ukrinform.
Umierov stated:
“We have already explained to the market this year that we will be purchasing over 1 million drones. We, from our side, haven’t said how many drones we can produce. But we can produce several million drones (per year – Ed.), some of which are paid for by the state budget, and for some, we find funds from partners.”
The minister emphasized that Ukraine’s production capacity exceeds “more than several million drones” annually, assuring that “we are capable of doing this. And next year, we won’t let the enemy surpass us.”
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Umierov also informed that Ukraine’s drone production this year would increase several times over. Addressing the issue of drone manufacturers, he noted that the Ministry of Defense currently requires five documents from a manufacturer and ten days to codify them.
“And we will work towards making this possible in one or two clicks,” the minister added.
The defense minister highlighted that Ukraine’s UAV production capacity would grow significantly, stating that the country would constantly need investments. He explained,
“We have about 150 groups and subgroups of various weapons and military equipment. And if we take, for example, top drones, electronic warfare systems, electronic intelligence, ground robotic systems – we produce enough of them.”
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Umierov further elaborated on the production potential, saying,
“We, from our side, say that we can produce more – we have budget limitations. We provide support from the state budget, partners provide it, and we tell partners that we can produce more. So invest in us, let us satisfy our capacity that is here.”
The minister emphasized that Ukraine’s drone production capacity exceeds the current budget allocation. He called on partners to focus on supporting this budget, ensuring that manufacturers can produce for Ukraine now and potentially for partners in the future.
Umierov concluded by stating,
“So in this regard, we say: focus on supporting this budget so that manufacturers can produce for us and, in the future, for you as well.”
Related:
- Ukraine doubles weapons production in 2024, focuses on drones and shells, PM says
- EU funds Ukrainian defense industry with €400 million from frozen Russian asset proceeds
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- Chasiv Yar’s survival rests on daring night drone team
- Ukraine aims to match drone production scale with new missile program
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