Umerov: Ukraine is ramping up drone production
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is focused on providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a maximum number of drones, therefore the manufacturers are working "at a tremendous pace," said Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov in an interview with Suspilne.
"According to the needs, we are now starting to purchase, produce, and work with partners to also receive international technical assistance. We can fulfill the quantity that volunteers and leadership announce," the minister said.
He emphasized that the goal of the Ministry of Defense is to provide the military with the maximum number of drones. After developing a plan for 2024, 55 billion hryvnias ($1.47 billion) were allocated as the first tranche for drones for the army. The Ministry of Defense is working according to the plan - to accelerate and increase the ability to purchase and produce, separate from the already approved 55 billion.
According to the Minister, in 2024, the Ministry of Defense should handle the procurement, however, the funds were transferred to the State Special Communications and Information Protection Service (SSCIPS), which is subordinate to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
"We hope to transfer this obligation to the Ministry of Defense this year. But in order not to stop, since we are working towards a common goal, SSCIPS directly placed orders with manufacturers," he noted.
In turn, according to Umerov, manufacturers have been working "at a tremendous pace in recent months, because the transfer of these funds, their receipt, and use had to be done in the last few months."
The Minister also did not rule out that the government will purchase all 50,000 drones of Ukrainian production out of 50,000.
"Much more," said the Minister. "The money was only recently transferred and we are already beginning to work. That is, for example, there are 200+ types of drones, there are several manufacturers - most of these manufacturers have not yet worked in such quantities, and we have started testing this. Sometimes we look at policies on how to do it, we look at how to doctrinally solve the issue of application. There are drones like FPV, there are bombers, there are maritime drones - there are hundreds of them. We are looking at where and how to use them more effectively," assured the Minister.
During a press conference on December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine will manufacture one million drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine by 2024.