Ukraine has 'extensive' 3-year plan for drone, ground robotics production, defense minister says
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Ukraine has developed a three-year plan for the production of drones, electronic warfare equipment and ground robotic systems, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in an interview with Lb.ua media outlet published on Sept. 24.
Described as "very thorough and extensive," the document on Ukrainian manufacturing was presented during Umerov's recent trips to the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, as well as at the Ramstein meeting earlier this month.
"We looked at how many of them (drones, electronic warfare, ground robotic systems) we needed and how we would use them at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels," the minister said.
The plan also includes the specific number of weapons that Ukraine can produce and the funds needed, Umerov added without elaborating.
"There are already several countries today that have agreed to finance our drones and missiles," Umerov added.
The Ukrainian military has proven to be a pioneer in drone technology, using innovative ways to undermine Russia's ammunition and personnel advantage.
According to Umerov, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged over 200 military facilities in Russia over the past year using "drone swarm" technology.
Kyiv says it uses domestically-produced drones to hit targets on Russian soil amid ongoing pressure on its partners to lift restrictions on deep strikes with Western-supplied weapons.
Kyiv has the production capacity to produce more than 3 million drones a year but requires financing from foreign partners, Deputy Strategic Industries Minister Hanna Hvozdiar said in July.
