One Million Drones for the Ukrainian Army: Civilians Contribute to Ukrainian Production Plan
In Ukraine, ordinary civilians are helping to produce 1 million FPV unmanned aerial vehicles to fight the Russian occupation army, NHK reports.
The small size and low cost of such a drone are among its key features.
Currently, FPV drones are in great demand on the battlefield, as they allow operators to check aerial footage in real time, as if they were actually flying the aircraft.
Therefore, support for this strategic goal is growing among the civilian population of Ukraine. Help includes assembling drones themselves and sending them to the military.
One civilian who lives in the capital Kyiv and works as a game developer said he had been learning to assemble and fly a drone for about six months. He said he wanted the skills because they would be useful when he joined the army.
In Kyiv, civilian engineers and other specialists teach the military how to fly drones.
Last year, Ukraine launched a plan to increase production of FPV drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late last month that getting ahead of Russia in terms of drone operations is one of his country's main objectives.
Ukrainian troops also continue to strike military targets in Russia near the border with Ukraine using unmanned aerial vehicles.
In September 2023, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said that Ukrainian drone production had increased more than 100 times compared to the previous year. About 200 companies are involved in the production of drones in Ukraine.
Ukraine produces most of the drones deployed on the front line, ranging from the smallest FPV drones to long-range analogues, Minister of Strategic Industry Oleksandr Kamyshyn said in December.
The Drone Army project is a comprehensive programme that includes the systematic purchase of drones for the Ukrainian military, as well as courses in repair, rapid replacement and operator training.
The project is being implemented with the participation of the General Staff, the State Special Communications Service, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the UNITED24 fundraising platform.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars film saga, became the ambassador of the UNITED24 Drone Army project.