Defense Minister shares plans for one million FPV drones and production of domestic ammunition
According to him, the innovations will be allowed to be used on the battlefield in 20 days, not months, as it was before
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine intends to purchase a million small drones in the new year, as well as order as much ammunition and weapons of its own Ukrainian production as possible.
This was stated by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in a brief report on the work of the ministry, which he headed four months ago, as cited by Ukrinform.
"The Ministry of Defense has ordered the first batches of FPV drones – in total, the state plans to purchase at least one million drones in 2024. It is important that for the first time the real need of the army for drones has been clearly calculated and generalized. We are working on efficient logistics, reducing the cost of procurement, and producing a sufficient number of combat units," Umerov writes.
FPV drones (first person view, drones with real-time video transmission) are widely used as weapons by both sides in this war.
Previously, the Ministry of Defense did not buy FPV drones due to gaps in the legislation, the minister explains. They were purchased for the army by volunteers and other agencies, but not by the Defense Ministry.
Umerov also says that his ministry "emphasized the procurement of Ukrainian weapons."
"We have ordered ammunition of the main calibers produced in Ukraine. In the future, we will increase the volume of such purchases," Umerov writes.
"We have signed a memorandum of cooperation with the US Department of Defense on joint production and exchange of technical data," he notes.
The minister also reports on the simplification of the procedure for the adoption of Ukrainian-made equipment.
"Our priority is to increase Ukrainian production of the necessary equipment for the military. From now on, innovations can be approved for use on the battlefield in 20 days, not months, as it was before," Umerov writes. "As a result, we have already adopted and authorized 118 samples of new equipment (24 of them are UAVs, including FPV, 13 are electronic warfare systems).
He also said that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the U.S. Embassy have launched a joint monitoring of the weapons provided by the United States to Kyiv. The purpose is to provide reasonable assurances that Ukraine, as a recipient of weapons, complies with the requirements set by the US government for the transfer, protection, storage and use of weapons and technology.
The Ministry of Defense is also introducing a new system of accounting for international military assistance. It provides for transparent accounting and reporting, clearly defined capabilities, and greater depth of planning, Umerov said.
In addition, work is underway to ensure that the military write off military property lost in combat up to UAH 1.5 million under a simplified procedure – up to 3 weeks, not 6 months as before.
"Our strategic goal is to return to the 1991 borders. We are working on it," the minister emphasized.
Background. As reported, earlier Umerov said that the demobilization of the military is possible only after the end of the war.
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