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Ukrainian drones made up over 96% of UAVs military used in 2024, defense minister says

by Abbey Fenbert December 28, 2024 11:48 PM 2 min read

A Ukrainian drone operator operates a drone in search of mines near Derhachi, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Oct. 1, 2023, amid Russia's war against Ukraine. (Sergey Bobok / AFP via Getty Images)

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Ukrainian drones accounted for over 96% of all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by the military in 2024, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Dec. 28.

Kyiv has ramped up domestic drone production over the past year. Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale with Russia.

The drone industry "reached unprecedented production volumes" in 2024, Umerov said in a Facebook post. Domestically produced drones accounted for 96.2% of all UAVs used by Ukrainian forces this year.

Ukraine manufactured over 1.5 million first-person-view (FPV) drones in 2024, Umerov said.

Ukrainian enterprises also produced reconnaissance drones, kamikaze aircraft, copter-bombers, and long-range drones, he added.

"Such figures indicate a new level of efficiency in the interaction between the state and Ukrainian UAV manufacturers," Umerov said.

President Volodoymyr Zelensky said in December 2023 that Ukraine aimed to produce one million drones in the coming year. In April 2024, Kyiv launched the Brave1 government initiative to invest in defense tech innovations.

Ukraine in recent months has championed the development of long-range "missile-drones," upgraded UAVs with turbojet engines that can act as alternatives to cruise missiles. Kyiv unveiled its Palianytsia and Peklo hybrids in the second half of 2024.

Zelensky has said Ukraine aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones next year.

Author: Abbey Fenbert

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