Umerov announces increase in production of long-range weapons and UAVs in 2025

Ukraine will increase its production of drones, long-range weapons, and ballistic missiles in 2025. New defense agreements have been signed to achieve these goals.

This was announced by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the DFNC2 forum in Kyiv.

Weapons production in Ukraine

"We have already invested $4 billion in the development of Ukrainian industry, and next year we plan to increase funding. Our priority is the development of domestic drones and long-range weapons, including ballistic missiles," the minister said.

Umerov also emphasized that the Ministry of Defense is actively working to attract foreign partners to create joint ventures for the development of the defense industry. Among the key elements to achieve these goals, he mentioned:

• signing long-term contracts for production;
• supply and maintenance of weapons, which will meet the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the long term.

It is also known that over 280 companies participated in this year’s DFNC2 forum. During the event, new important agreements were signed that will strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that Ukraine is capable of producing four million drones annually. In addition, he said that in the first half of 2024 alone, Ukraine produced 25 times more ammunition for artillery and mortars than in the entire year of 2022.

In turn, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, said that arms production in Ukraine tripled in 2023. The country is also reaching significant production volumes of artillery systems and armored vehicles.