Ukraine has developed 324 new weapons, but the potential is much greater
15 April 10:56
The Ukrainian defense industry accounted for one-third of the country’s total GDP growth in 2024. This was stated by the Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin during a briefing “Ukrainian Weapons 2024,” Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
According to the minister, as cited by AIN.ua, in 2024, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 3.9%, of which 1.27% was provided by the defense industry.
Herman Smetanin also noted that the production of weapons and military equipment in Ukraine increased 7 times compared to 2023. Last year, the ability of the Ukrainian defense industry to produce weapons and military equipment domestically increased from $3 billion to $20 billion.
In fact, in 2024, weapons and military equipment worth $9 billion were produced, and, as the Minister noted, this figure is planned to be increased to $35 billion.
Who ensured these results
Today, there are 718 manufacturers of weapons and military equipment in Ukraine, most of which are private companies. Only 13% of manufacturers are state-owned.
Last year, 52% of all weapons and military equipment were produced by private producers, who currently have a greater production capacity than the state-owned industrial complex.
The defense industry employs more than 300,000 people involved in the production, design, modernization, and repair of weapons and military equipment.
What is produced and in what volumes
According to Herman Smetanin, the production of FPV drones in 2024 amounted to 2.2 million units, with the potential for the current year being up to 10 million.
As for deep strike, production increased 22 times last year.
The production of ammunition reached 2.4 million units, an increase of 2.4 times.
The production of electronic warfare equipment increased 340 times, and ground robotic systems – 15 times.
324 new models of weapons were developed, including Palianytsia, Peklo, Ruta, and Bars drone missiles.
According to the Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin, Ukraine has started localizing components for drones: the country is already producing motors, initiation boards, and camera assembly.
How the Ministry of Defense works with arms manufacturers
In 2025, as part of the Weapons of Victory initiative, the Ministry of Defense has already signed contracts with 12 Ukrainian arms manufacturers worth almost UAH 130 billion. This was announced in late March by Hlib Kanevskyi, Director of the Defense Ministry’s Procurement Policy Department.
According to him, the key criteria for Ukrainian arms manufacturers seeking to join the Weapons of Victory program and sign long-term contracts are mandatory codification, mass production, achieving a localization level of at least 50%, etc.
The Ministry of Defense announced plans to purchase UAVs
More than UAH 44 billion will be spent on the purchase of FPV drones, including fiber optic drones.
“While last year the main financial resource was directed to the purchase of long-range deepstrike drones, this year more than UAH 44 billion is planned for the purchase of FPV, including fiber-optic models,” said Hlib Kanevskyi, director of the Defense Ministry’s Procurement Policy Department.
According to him, the capacity of the domestic defense industry in 2025 is approximately 4.5 million FPV drones, and the Ministry of Defense plans to purchase them all.
