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Ukrainian Armed Forces Expect Record Drone Deliveries in 2024-2025 Backed By Over $4 Billion

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Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
AUTHOR
Ukrainian Armed Forces Expect Record Drone Deliveries in 2024-2025 Backed By Over $4 Billion
A drone on display at the presentation of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) in Kyiv on June 11, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

Recent statements from the Ministry of Defense indicated that Ukraine has exceeded its production goals for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), manufacturing approximately 1.28 million drones within the first ten months of 2024.

According to Defense Express, this achievement aligns with the nation’s substantial commitment to increasing UAV deployment capabilities, with over $4 billion allocated for 2024-2025 for the years 2024-2025.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a production target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which included 10,000 medium-range strike drones, 1,000 drones with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, and a million FPV drones. The Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, recently confirmed that production targets for 2024 have been surpassed.

The Ministry of Defense reported that of the $3.1 billion allocated over two years, orders amounting to roughly $2.2 billion have been fulfilled as of October 2024. The defense industry is set to supply an additional 366,940 drones within the next two months, including Deepstrike rocket drones, FPV drones, and reconnaissance copters such as DJI Mavic models, among others.

By the end of 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are projected to have more than 1.6 million drones across various types, a significant increase from the previous year’s total of 600,000 FPV drones, which constituted a large portion of the country’s UAV output in 2023.

Looking ahead to 2025, contracts have been established for an additional 155,205 drones, valued at $880 million. These will include deep-strike UAVs, FPV drones, and reconnaissance aircraft. Notably, Ukraine’s defense forces are expected to acquire further drones beyond these projections, through additional acquisitions by other Defense Force units and contributions from volunteer and partner organizations.

The United Kingdom, for example, is expected to deliver 300 large FPV drones by the end of 2024, with potential monthly deliveries of up to 500 units pending successful trials.

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