- Ukraine plans to produce millions of drones each year after claims of dramatic production growth
- $1.1 billion in EU funding boosts Kyiv’s efforts to increase drone manufacturing capacity
- Ukraine’s battlefield experience accelerates demand for larger-scale drone production
Ukraine says its drone manufacturing capacity has increased to 10 million units per year, and it already plans to double production to 20 million.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the report, saying Ukraine had already exceeded its previous goal of producing one million drones per year, despite widespread skepticism.
“I remember the first time I publicly announced the state plan: 1 million drones per year,” Zelensky said. “There was a lot of skepticism everywhere, inside and out… We make 10 million drones a year. Ten, and it will be 20.”
Production ambitions grow alongside European support
Zelensky said achieving this next stage of production would depend on continued cooperation with international partners supporting Ukraine’s expanding defense manufacturing sector.
The announcement coincided with a new defense cooperation agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, valued at $1.1 billion, placing drone production at the center of kyiv’s long-term military planning.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also confirmed the new defense industrial agreement known as the Drone Deal.
The agreement builds on previous efforts already underway between Ukraine and its European partners in the defense sector.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said that six separate agreements have already been reached under the Drone Deal.
It also claims that more than 20 countries are working to join the same cooperation model, potentially expanding financial support and industrial participation beyond current European partners.
Drone warfare spurs industrial expansion
Ukraine’s growing production targets follow an increased battlefield reliance on unmanned systems throughout the conflict, where drones have increasingly supported surveillance, reconnaissance and precision strike operations.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukrainian forces struck more than 800,000 verified Russian targets in 2026 using drones alone.
These targets included personnel, artillery, air defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems, headquarters, transportation assets, depots, electronic warfare equipment, and ground robotic systems.
Fedorov also said that these operations contributed to the death or serious injury of approximately 167,000 Russian troops during the same period.
However, these battlefield figures remain difficult to independently verify during an active conflict.
Beyond immediate military needs, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly outlined much broader ambitions for the nation’s manufacturing industry.
They say the country could eventually become the world’s largest producer of drones and robotic systems.
Ukrainian drone production could surpass that of China, Russia and the United States combined, surpassing 30 million units per year within several years.
Ukraine’s ability to meet these production targets will depend on financing, manufacturing capacity, access to components and continued international support.
However, recent announcements suggest that Ukrainian officials believe that drone production has already exceeded expectations set only a few years ago.
Via Interfax (originally in Ukrainian)
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds.
