Has significantly ramped up weapons manufacturing over the past year and is using domestically produced ballistic and cruise missiles every month, the country’s Minister for Strategic Industries said.
At a briefing marking Ukraine’s Gunsmith Day, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said the country increased cruise missile production eightfold in 2024 compared to the previous year. He highlighted the progress since 2022, when Ukraine was only able to manufacture a single type of cruise missile, the Neptune.
“Last year, we introduced many new models, allowing us to grow production eightfold compared to 2023,” Smetanin said.
Ukraine has also more than doubled its production of long-range drones in 2024 compared to the previous year, which is a 22-fold increase compared to 2022. In total, 324 new types of weapons were developed in Ukraine by the end of 2024.
Smetanin said Ukraine produced $9 billion worth of arms in 2024, and the defense industry is on track to nearly quadruple that amount by the end of 2025. “We already foresee growth this year,” he said. “By the end of 2025, we will have the capacity to produce $35 billion worth of military equipment domestically.”
President’s Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin added that Ukraine can now supply its armed forces with nearly the full range of necessary military goods.
“Today, according to various estimates, 30% to 40% of what our troops use on the front lines is made in Ukraine,” Kamyshin said. “It’s not only about war — it’s about our economy. As of last year, defense manufacturing made up a significant share of our GDP. After our victory, I’m confident we’ll be exporting Ukrainian-made weapons to the world.”
Ukraine has been rapidly developing its domestic arms industry since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. In December 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country aims to produce 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 missiles. As of November 2024, Ukraine had produced its first 100 domestically made missiles.
Ukraine has also turned to local production to address battlefield shortages and reduce dependency on foreign supplies, including new domestic artillery contracts.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
