Ukraine is focused on increasing the production and improvement of long-range attack drones to strike even deeper into Russia, according to the Head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Mykhailo Fedorov in a comment to Reuters. AIN shares the highlights from the article.

  • Ukrainian production of long-range drones has increased tenfold since 2023. President Volodymyr Zelensky has set a goal of producing 30,000 long-range drones next year.
  • According to Fedorov, Ukraine has attack drones which can fly up to 1,800 km.
  • He also confirmed that Ukraine is currently working on drones that will intercept Russian Shahed drones. While this is still in the research and development stage, there are already "certain results".
  • This year, Ukraine signed a contract to buy 1.6 million drones. Of these, 1.3 million have already been delivered. These include inexpensive FPV drones.
  • The Ukrainian military uses dozens of indigenous systems, supplemented by AI for drones. This allows them to reach targets on the battlefield and remain effective even in electronic warfare protected areas.
  • 10 companies are constantly competing for government contracts, offering products with artificial intelligence.

"I think next year will significantly increase the percentage of autonomous drones with targeting. We might see the first real drone swarm uses, though not on a massive scale. The first steps will happen," Fedorov said.

It is also estimated that next year Ukraine will need tens of thousands of unmanned ground platforms to deliver ammunition and cargo to the trenches and to evacuate wounded soldiers.

Several thousand of these systems were purchased this year. They are already being used on the front lines and in the Kursk region of Russia. There are several training centers in Ukraine where soldiers are taught how to use them.