Ukraine is ahead of Russia in the production of kamikaze drones

In 2024, Ukraine reached a value comparable to Russia in terms of the number of produced strike drones, which in terms of their technical characteristics are equal to Iranian kamikaze drones.

General Director of Ukroboronprom Herman Smetanin said this in an interview for ArmiyaInform.

"In 2024, Ukraine will catch up with Russia in the production of kamikaze drones, similar to the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136, as well as in the production of other attack drones. What is exploding in Russia is all ours," said the Minister of Oleksandr Kamyshin of strategic branches of industry. This is a fact," Smetanin added.

According to him, this achievement was made possible thanks to effective cooperation between state enterprises and private companies.

Meanwhile, Smetanin noted that private enterprises alone will not be able to provide the necessary volume of drone production, therefore "Ukroboronprom" concludes license agreements with them, the terms of which provide for the involvement of state-owned companies in production.

About 500 enterprises of the defense-industrial complex are currently operating in Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Almost 300,000 people are involved in this priority area, who manufacture domestic projectiles, guns, mortars, armored vehicles, anti-tank systems, EW systems, and more.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that there are more than 200 Ukrainian companies operating on the Ukrainian market that deal with unmanned aerial vehicles or services and products in the field of drones.

Currently, enterprises specializing in the production of drones can receive state grants in the amount of 80% of the cost of the approved project. The preferential regime of granting grants to such producers will operate throughout the controlled territory of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has set a goal for Ukraine to release one million unmanned aerial vehicles with first-person view (FPV) in 2024, which are characterized by low manufacturing costs and have huge military potential.