Ukraine aims at autonomous arms production: target 30,000 drones and the Trembita missile

Kiev accelerates arms industry to take on Russia and position itself on the international market

Ukraine, which has been at war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia for three years, is beginning to build an autonomous military capability, gradually freeing itself from dependence on Western, mainly US, weapons. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the ‘Weapons of Victory’ plan, with the goal of producing as many as 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 cruise missiles and ‘drone missiles’ by 2025. The plan envisages long-term contracts with manufacturers, with a duration of 3-5 years, and aims not only to supply Ukrainian troops, but also to position Ukraine as an international arms seller, with estimated revenues of up to USD 1 billion within the year.

The context of the war forces Kiev to allocate unprecedented resources to the defence sector. In the last budget, some 739 billion hryvnias, equivalent to 17 billion euro, were allocated for the production of armaments and military equipment.

Trembita missile: Kiev’s key weapon

Among Kiev’s priorities is the production of the Trembita cruise missile, a project that aims to build a ‘low-cost’ version compared to the missiles supplied by the US and other allies. The basic version of the Trembita costs about $10,000, which is considerably less than the American Atacms or the Anglo-French Scalp.

The missile, which is two metres long and weighs 90 kg, can carry up to 18 kg of explosives to reach targets up to 150 km away. However, Kiev is investing in improving the missile and increasing its range to 650 km, making it an increasingly fearsome weapon in the conflict against Russia.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)