About 200 drone manufacturing companies already operating in Ukraine, deputy PM says

There are currently about 200 companies producing drones in Ukraine, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced on national television on Nov. 21.

“New ones appear almost every month,” Fedorov said.

“We have a separate project called Brave1, which provides grants to start such companies, and venture capital funds are emerging to provide them with funding.”

Funding is also increasing on the part of the state, namely from the Ministry of Defense and other bodies of the Defense Forces that purchase UAVs.

Read also: Prytula unveils long-range Ukrainian drone

Details of new production facilities opening cannot be publicly announced at this time, but Ukraine's domestic production capacity for drones is rapidly expanding, Fedorov noted.

"We need more drones at the frontline," the minister said.

“Therefore, we are constantly thinking about what else we need to do in terms of innovation, taxes, increased funding, and attracting partners to produce even more drones for the Defense Forces.”

Read also: Ukraine tests new EW-resistant combat drone

Unlike Russia, Ukraine's UAV production is at a different level of development, Fedorov stated, adding that the Russians have been preparing for many years and investing in the development of this sector, while in Ukraine the market opened only a year ago.

"For example, today the leading position in one of the UAV categories is held by a company that did not exist last year," the official said.

“If we continue to work at this pace, we will not merely catch up with Russia over time.”

Read also: Ukrainian drone production capacity may exceed Russia’s, says Air Force spox

Earlier, Minister of Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin said that Ukraine had launched mass production of an analog of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone at a state-owned plant. Ukraine already produces dozens of such drones every month, he said.

Kamyshin also said that by the end of this year, Ukraine will start producing tens of thousands of drones per month.

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