Technology

UAH 13 billion was allocated: "Ukroboronprom" will transfer hundreds of drones to the military by the end of the year

Since August, Ukroboronprom has increased the UAV supplies for the front hundreds of times, and now produces both small FPVs and devices with high flight range. Ukroboronprom concern plans to put several hundred drones to support Ukraine's defense forces by the end of this year. The head of the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection (State Secretariat) Yuri Shchigol in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine told about it.

According to him, the order for domestic drones placed the State Secretariat within the project "Army of Drones". The head of the department also noted that 80% of UAVs are purchased from Ukrainian manufacturers, and the share of "Ukroboronprom" in the total volume of purchases of the "drone army" for the front is constantly increasing. Only in August, the first contract for the purchase of UAVs was concluded, and as of today there are several hundred.

Yuri Shchigol also said that Ukroboronprom has created and produced products today that has not previously been produced for decades, including FPV-Drones and high range drones. These products are purchased and supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of the State Secretariat also told reporters that his department would receive from the state budget for drones 13 billion UAH by the end of the year and another UAH 43 billion - next year.

This was made possible by the fact that the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the redistribution of "military" tax on income of individuals. Yuri Shchigol noted that these funds were needed to close the need for "drone army". And if the Verkhovna Rada did not support it, there would be a gap in January-February because everyone would expect to allocate funds from the state budget-2023. Thus, the State Secretariat would not receive transitional contracts for next year.

"By the end of the year, we will put a large number of drones as planned, and in January-February would not put anything if these funds were not foreseen. The first purchases would be carried out only in March. 13 billion UAH will help us to block the need for January-February. 43 billion-I think it will be a little more-they will also go to security and defense forces with drones, "said Yuri Shchigol. We will remind, earlier we reported that 5 thousand FPV-roms were purchased for the Armed Forces.