Photo: 117th separate mechanized brigade
The entire process of manufacturing drones or robotics used on the battlefield is localized in Ukraine as much as possible. Despite being the world’s largest producer of drones, there are always not enough of them.
Valeriy Yakovenko, co-founder of DroneUA and an expert in unmanned technologies and robotics, told Hromadske Radio.
According to Yakovenko, Ukraine produces the largest number of drones in the world, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions per month, aimed at protection. The largest segment is FPV drones, actively used over the past year.
“But large drones also appear in hundreds and thousands to destroy the enemy. In this case, Ukraine is very strongly and actively combining various classes of drones: both with reconnaissance and strike functions. Additionally, digital systems are being integrated, which are used by the Ukrainian military to have better situational awareness on the battlefield», — Yakovenko says.
However, he notes that production is not the same as delivery to the front. The state’s public procurement processes are very slow, so volunteers are involved in purchasing UAVs for the front.
“If we are talking about the involvement of the state and volunteer initiatives, I would say that the entire volume of equipment that goes to the army is distributed 50% to 50%. That is, half is bought by volunteers and half by the state. And most importantly, there is never enough of this equipment», — explains Yakovenko.
Yakovenko believes it is only a matter of time before the state adapts and gains the necessary momentum in the procurement process.
He also notes that Ukraine already produces every element used in modern drones. However, the number of drones needed forces the import of some components from abroad.
“But this is also a changing process, and the situation is improving every day. There are companies and concerns that specialize in certain components, work in clusters, and supply equipment to a large number of different manufacturers in Ukraine. And in fact, what we see in front of us is the emergence of the Ukrainian drone ecosystem, where the world has no other examples that would work as large and fast», — Yakovenko said.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian company Wild Hornets has presented a multifunctional FPV drone designed to deliver heavy cargo. It is capable of carrying up to 9.5 kg and consists of 65% Ukrainian components. In particular, it uses Ukrainian electronics developed during the war.
At the same time, it is faster and quieter than conventional multi-rotor bombers.