- Ukraine plans to make millions of drones annually after claims of dramatic production growth
- European funding of $1.1 billion bolsters kyiv’s drive to expand drone manufacturing capacity
- Ukraine’s battlefield experience accelerates demand for increased drone production
Ukraine says its drone manufacturing capacity has expanded to 10 million units a year, and plans are already underway to double production to 20 million.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the report, saying Ukraine has already surpassed its previous goal of producing one million drones a year, despite widespread skepticism.
“I remember the first time I publicly announced the state’s plan: 1 million drones a year,” Zelensky said. “There was a lot of skepticism everywhere, both inside and outside… We make 10 million drones a year. Ten, and it will be 20.”
Production ambitions increase alongside European support
Zelensky said achieving this next production milestone will depend on continued cooperation with international partners who support Ukraine’s growing defense manufacturing sector.
The announcement coincided with a new defense cooperation agreement between Ukraine and the European Union valued at $1.1 billion, which places drone production at the center of kyiv’s long-term military planning.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also confirmed the new industrial-defense 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 Defense and Security Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said that six separate agreements have already been completed within the framework of the Drone Agreement.
It also states 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 drives industrial expansion
Ukraine’s rising production targets are due to extensive 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 during 2026 using only drones.
These targets included personnel, artillery, air defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems, headquarters, transport facilities, depots, electronic warfare equipment and ground robotic systems.
Fedorov also claimed that those operations contributed to around 167,000 Russian soldiers being killed or seriously wounded 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 domestic manufacturing.
They maintain that the country could become the world’s largest producer of drones and robotic systems.
Ukraine’s drone production could surpass that of China, Russia and the United States combined, surpassing 30 million units annually within several years.
Whether Ukraine achieves these production goals will depend on financing, manufacturing capacity, access to components and continued international support.
However, recent announcements suggest that Ukrainian officials believe drone production has already surpassed expectations set just a few years ago.
Via Interfax (originally in Ukrainian)
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