Capacities of Ukraine’s defense industry already double what budget can cover - Ministry
Ukraine has significantly increased the output of weapons and attracted additional funding from international partners.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, Ukrinform saw.
"In 2023, output has tripled, capacity for 2024 is six times larger. The Ukrainian defense industry has reached the stage where it can produce more than the state budget can buy – the country has funding for less than half of the existing capacity," the report says.
Among the key achievements is the launch of serial manufacture of a full range of products: from armored vehicles to UAVs, from ammunition to missiles. Also, a Ukrainian long-range weapon was created, capable of hitting targets at a range of over 1,500 km; there was a breakthrough in the field of defense tech, in particular in the production and upgrade of UAVs.
FPV drones are being produced, made entirely of Ukrainian components. The production of robotic platforms was scaled up, designed for mining, demining, logistics, medical evacuation, and combat missions.
An important achievement was the launch of the joint Ukrainian-American FrankenSAM project – a hybrid air defense system, which is already performing in combat.
Ukroboronprom, which ranked 49th in the world’s Top 100 defense companies, underwent a transformation.
On October 18, 2023, a joint venture was set up involving Ukroboronprom and Rheinmetall, and on June 10, 2024, the first repaired Marder IFV rolled off the assembly line. The company will be engaged in the repair of German equipment that operates at the front, and is preparing to produce new equipment, entirely at German expense.
Through the ZBROYARI: Manufacturing Freedom initiative, it was possible to attract $671.3 million from foreign partners.
In July, JSC Ukroboronprom launched its first foreign representative office in the U.S. capital, Washington. UOP representatives will support existing U.S.-Ukrainian projects, as well as explore opportunities for new funding and partners.
In addition to arms production, since June 2023, the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, led by Oleksandr Kamyshin, has taken over control of upgrading the existing shelters across Ukraine. Over 7,400 shelters were repaired or built from scratch in 15 months. For effective management, an online platform "Iron Shelter" and a chatbot for quickly addressing issues have been created.
"From being the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is becoming the Arsenal of the free world, and I am proud to be involved in this very difficult, but extremely important process," Kamyshin said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada supported Oleksandr Kamyshin’s resignation from the post of Minister for Strategic Industries.
Photo: Ministry of Defense