Within a span of under eight months in the current year, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has codified and adopted twice as many Ukrainian-made models of weapons and military equipment for use in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as in the entire previous year. In 2023, this figure amounted to more than 200 domestically produced weapons and military equipment models.

Deputy Defence Minister Oleksandr Serhiy shared this information on Ukrinform through his blog.

According to him, over the two and a half years of large-scale russian aggression, Ukraine's defense industry has demonstrated a significant increase in production. Ukrainian weapon manufacturers have also become skilled in creating innovative weapons.

The Deputy Minister clarified that since 2022, approval has been granted for delivering nearly 190 UAV systems of various types and purposes, around 40 ground-based robotic systems, and more than 150 ammunition variants, focusing on drones, to the Armed Forces. Ukrainian weapons manufacturers also produce electronic warfare (EF) systems, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, specialized equipment, firearms, and more. Some Ukrainian-made weapons are unique in terms of their characteristics, and this has been proven by the results of their use in combat scenarios. For example, Ukraine is a world leader in some types of drones.

“We continue to actively work on the development of innovative projects. Our engineers and manufacturers of robotic systems aim to ensure that ‘mechanical soldiers’ gradually replace humans on the battlefield. Technology changes the course of the war. We should have an advantage here,” noted Oleksandr Serhiy.

The Deputy Minister made it clear that the absolute priority is advancing the national defense industry due to the significant need of the Defence Forces for weapons and equipment.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine remains committed to facilitating the success of local manufacturers of weapons and military equipment. Specifically, these efforts involve shortening the period for codification of new models to 10 days and permitting domestic weapon manufacturers to conduct trials at military training sites without any fees.