Ukraine’s defense industry claims 59% of military contracts after production surge

Ukraine has signed over half of the new defense procurement contracts with domestic weapons producers, according to Ekonomichna Pravda. Kyiv has tripled its overall domestic weapons production in 2023 and doubled that output in the first eight months of 2024. Ukraine has successfully tested its new Peklo (Hell) drone missiles with a strike range of up to 700 kilometers and a speed of 700 kilometers per hour and modified its A-22 aircraft into a plane drone. The Defense Procurement Agency of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, the country's largest state weapons contractor, reports that 59% of the contracts in 2024 have been signed with Ukrainian defense companies. The rest of the agreements have been reached with foreign suppliers. At the onset of the all-out war, Ukraine relied heavily on foreign manufacturers, as domestic producers could not produce the full range of needed equipment. However, the situation is changing, and state orders are increasingly being directed to the domestic market players. Ukrainian factories have captured a portion of the defense contracts previously held by foreign suppliers, now producing artillery, mortars, certain Soviet-caliber ammunition, radars, military vehicle spare parts, and electronic components on a serial basis. Notably, Ukraine has significantly reduced its reliance on imports for armored vehicle production and has largely achieved self-sufficiency in the manufacture of drones and electronic warfare systems. Earlier, Colonel Vadym Sukharievskyi, the Commander of the Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Unit, said Ukraine possesses laser weapons, becoming the fifth country with such capabilities. The system, named “Tryzub” or “Trident,” allows the country’s armed forces to destroy Russian targets, including aircraft, at distances exceeding two kilometers.

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