Ukraine's drone production jumps 370% in 2026, says defense ministry
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Ukraine's defense ministry announced on Oct. 11 that it has ordered and received significantly more drones so far in 2026 than it had done for the whole of the previous year.
A press release from the defense ministry notes that its procurement agency has contracted for 5.5 times as many drones as in the same period of 2025, and that the volume of deliveries has increased by almost 3.7 times.
"The task of the Ministry of Defense is to give the army drones to work effectively at every level," said Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara in a press statement.
"Technology and the availability of sufficient means increase combat effectiveness and at the same time reduce risks for our soldiers," Khmara said.
"Such indicators became possible thanks to the direction of support from international partners and the scaling of the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry," reads the press statement.
An increasing number of deals between Ukraine and other European countries are helping bolster drone procurement across the continent, whether it is the announcement of support packages from Germany, the U.K. signing a battlefield data deal with Kyiv to develop AI drone swarms, or the EU-Ukraine drone alliance beginning work in September.
More EU money to help Ukraine procure drones is also expected to arrive by the end of 2026.
The bloc disbursed 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) on Oct. 7 and is expected to make another payment to Ukraine ahead of the Oct. 14 summit of EU leaders, two EU officials told the Kyiv Independent.
Of the EU defense support available to Kyiv by the end of 2026 alone, 15.4 billion euros ($17.2 billion) remains unused.
