Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has supplied 1.2 million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to its army this year.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces currently operate reconnaissance UAVs, strike drones, and first-person view (FPV) kamikaze systems, with plans to deliver another 100,000 UAVs by the end of the month.
“Providing the defense forces with modern UAVs remains a priority, which allows strengthening the country’s defense capability and the effectiveness of combat operations,” the Defense Ministry stated.
Systems on the Battlefield
Since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, drones have become a key asset for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Kyiv’s combat units received 1.1 million FPV kamikaze drones through the State Special Communications Service this year.
The country also has 40,000 multirotor reconnaissance drones, including over 12,000 designed for nighttime missions, and 5,000 fixed-wing reconnaissance UAVs, such as the Shark, GOR, and Furia.
The Ukrainian arsenal also includes over 6,000 long-range attack drones, including systems like the An-196 “Feb” and Firepoint.
Moreover, the army can operate up to 2,000 reusable strike UAVs, including the Nemesis, Bat, and Vampire, and 5,000 reusable FPV copters.
UAV Production
In October, Ukraine reported that $2.7 billion out of a total $3.5 billion fund allocated for unmanned platforms supporting intelligence gathering, target tracking, and precision strikes had been spent within the first 10 months of 2024.
By next year, the country aims to procure approximately 150,000 drones, estimated at 32.3 billion hryvnias ($783.2 million).
Moreover, Ukraine recently highlighted its progress in scaling domestic production in response to the ongoing Russian aggression.
In October, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country had achieved full operational capacity to manufacture up to four million drones annually.
