Ukraine estimates its long-range weapon production at over $30 billion in 2026
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Ukraine's potential for producing long-range capabilities is expected to surpass $35 billion in 2026, although it could also reach as high as $60 billion, Ukrainian officials said on Nov. 6.
In a closed-door briefing with journalists, Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Oleksandr Kamyshin, an advisor on Strategic Industries to the President's Office, said that the current production capacit of the Ukrainain defense industry is around $35 billion per year.
Although Ukraine needs as many drones as possible to defend the country, Umerov and Kamyshin said that part of production will be allocated for "controlled export to friendly countries" as a self-financing measure, meaning sales would generate revenue to reinvest in production. They said that Ukraine is unable to cover the full cost of domestic defense production either from its budget or through the financial assistance of Western allies.
The statement comes as Kyiv urges Western allies to help finance domestic production of drones and missiles, saying it has the know-how.
Frameworks such as the "Danish model" — a donor-funded scheme that channels partner money into contracts for Ukrainian-made weapons — have helped Ukraine finance domestic production, but Kyiv still needs more to compete against Russia's massive expansion of its drone industry. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Nov. 6 that Sweden has helped Ukraine produce 400 long-range strike drones under the Danish model.
As of now, Ukraine has imposed an arms export ban to prioritize supplying all available weapons, including drones, to the front line. The ban has existed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 28 that he told the Defense Ministry to start the "controlled export" of weapons in November.
Umerov and Kamyshin said that Ukraine will open its first defense industry representative offices, where potential investors can learn about Ukrainian capabilities of Ukrainian weapons and the drone industry, in Berlin and Copenhagen.
