Oleksandr Turchynov: Ukraine needs to establish the large-scale production of operational-tactical and strategic unmanned aerial vehicles

We are facing the challenge of establishing the large-scale production of operational-tactical and strategic unmanned aerial vehicles capable of detecting a threat at long distances yet on the territory of an aggressor. This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov, while he was at the proving ground, where a demonstration and testing of unmanned aerial vehicles, most of which were produced in Ukraine, took place. The modified combat helicopter Mi-8, equipped with arms and reliable armored missile defense, and of completely Ukrainian production was also presented to Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine.

According to Mr. Turchynov, recently, the Russian-occupation forces in the east of our country have started to actively use new unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance and fire adjustment, as well as combat drones, with the help of which they try to inflict defeat on our equipment, warehouses and logistics centers. "Many of them get on our territory directly from the territory of the Russian Federation", - he added.

In opinion of Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine, our country has no alternative other than to give an adequate response to the aggressor, developing military and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles and complexes on our own.

"We already have the large-scale production of tactical unmanned aerial complexes, that carry out reconnaissance and fire adjustment, but for the time being, there is no large-scale production of combat unmanned aerial vehicles", - he explained. Oleksandr Turchynov noted that several samples of combat unmanned aerial vehicles were tested today at the proving ground, "the best of them will be improved, and their production will be taken to the assembly line".

"Today, at the meeting with the military leadership and the leadership of the defense industry, the task to significantly change the parity of forces by establishing the production of the most promising unmanned aerial vehicles, capable to immediately find the target and conduct surgical strikes of the enemy, was set", - Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine noticed.

He added that the flagship of Ukrainian aviation "Antonov" State Enterprise, "which in the nearest time should ensure the production of operational-tactical and strategic unmanned aerial vehicles capable of detecting a threat at long distances yet on the territory of an aggressor and able to carry powerful air-to-ground missiles", should also join the production of UAVs. "The special task we set before the designers and manufacturers, - are the effective means of fighting enemy unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing to find and neutralize them quickly", - Mr. Turchynov summarized.