BOOSTING EUROPE’S DEFENCE
However, drone makers said scaling up requires raw materials and money. They added that they are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.
While Ukraine is working to boost its domestic capacity, defence experts noted that funding remains an issue, especially with US support no longer a guarantee.
Oleksandra Azarkina, co-founder of Independent think tank We Build Ukraine, said: “We still have a gap in the contracts because unfortunately the Ukrainian budget isn’t strong enough to cover it all.”
For now, the focus is on supporting Ukrainian soldiers.
Still, officials hope its drone industry can soon help allies bolster their own security needs.
“We definitely see that we can add to the European defence,” said Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, head of office of the Global Promotion of Ukrainian R&D, which is charged with advancing research and development efforts.
“There is no need for us to substitute any European developers but we can be a partner. We can produce together, develop together and defend Europe together.”
The European Commission’s ReArm Europe plan, which calls for a significant surge in defence spending across member states, could unlock more than US$800 billion for the bloc’s defence sector.
With drones becoming a key component of modern warfare, Ukraine’s first-hand experience and battle-tested technology could see the demand for its military hardware take off.
