According to Reuters 9**, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said on the same day that Ukrainian manufacturers have increased drone production, so much so that Ukraine's current drone procurement funds are not enough to buy all drones in production. According to the report, soon after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Fedorov supported the Ukrainian army in using drones to fight.
Screenshot of the Reuters report.
Fedorov said in an interview with Ukrainian state television on January 9 that "as of today, the market is growing much faster than the amount of money for the purchase of all drones...... the report."Therefore, we need to increase financing and further open the market, so that the competition and parts (manufacturing) start to be localized. ”
Reuters pointed out that in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has lasted for 22 months, both Ukraine and Russia have made extensive use of drones, providing their own teams with uninterrupted aerial surveillance capabilities and being able to destroy each other's targets hundreds of times more valuable than drones, such as air defense systems and advanced radars.
Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhailo Fedorov Source: Bloomberg.
According to Fedorov, at the moment there are about 200 companies in Ukraine that manufacture UAVs, and about 70 local companies have already signed contracts for *** UAVs.
According to the US "Wall Street**" 8**, the Ukrainian army is currently facing a shortage of ammunition, funds and troops due to the stalled plans of the United States and the European Union for additional aid to Ukraine. Until more resources are available, Ukrainian military personnel are trying to cope, such as replacing artillery shells with "first-person view (FPV)" drones.
The newspaper said that for every 5 shells fired by the Russian army, the Ukrainian army can only fire one or two, and is using FPV drones to resist the Russian offensive. Although this type of drone does not have the fast flight speed of artillery shells, the long range of artillery shells, and the fact that it cannot carry a lot of explosives and cannot blow through concrete walls, the cost of each drone is only a few hundred dollars, which is much lower than that of artillery shells, and it is easier to produce - you can find someone to buy it from a commercial ** businessman, and then transfer it to the Ukrainian soldiers, who ** explosives on the drone.
Fedorov is quoted as saying that "we are increasingly using FPV drones because we lack shells." However, he added, "UAVs cannot completely replace artillery." Drones, which are loaded with explosives and are guided to the target, are often more accurate than artillery and cause much less damage, the report said.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said Ukrainian forces were "adapting to the battlefield difficulties caused by equipment shortages, but are doing their best to make up for it completely."