After nearly four years of full-scale war, Ukraine has turned itself into a drone superpower – producing about 4 million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) a year.
These include long-range strike drones and inexpensive first-person-view (FPV) models, which pilots control using small onboard cameras.
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Such figures were cited in a Bloomberg report, which noted that the US produces roughly 100,000 military drones annually.
“It’s not just the quantity of drones, it’s the variety,” said RAND analyst Michael Bohnert. “Probably more than all NATO countries combined right now.”
Ukrainian engineers and manufacturers are now seeking partnerships abroad to scale production and secure funding.
Oleksandr Hrachov, head of drone producer TSIR, is setting up a tactical drone plant in Finland to ensure a steady supply to the front and access to Western financing.
“The war has forced us to innovate faster,” Hrachov said, noting that Ukrainian drones have gone through three generations of upgrades in the time it’s taken him to build a new line in Finland.
Hrachov’s company is setting up a plant to produce tactical drones – quadcopters capable of flying up to 15 km (9 miles) for reconnaissance and frontline strikes – in partnership with Finnish firm Summa Defence Plc.
The project operates under FlyWell, a consortium uniting several Ukrainian drone manufacturers that build air, ground, and sea systems targeting Russian assets up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles) away.
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FlyWell aims to raise about $50 million to expand production in Europe and fund new technologies, including hydrogen-powered drones.
For now, Summa Defence is financing production and has developed three prototype models ready for mass production after field testing in Ukraine, CEO Jussi Holopainen said. Some will be supplied to NATO allies, but Ukraine remains the top priority.
As Europe races to rearm, Ukrainian know-how is in high demand. Ukrainian companies like Skyeton and Fire Point are opening production sites in Slovakia, Denmark, and the UK, often backed by European governments.
Ukraine’s ability to produce drones cheaply is another reason Europe is eager to collaborate. FlyWell members alone build hundreds of thousands annually, far outpacing European firms that produce smaller quantities of more expensive systems.
Denmark, for example, has allocated 500 million kroner ($77 million) to help Ukrainian arms producers relocate and expand. Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, with a range of 3,000 km (1,864 miles), is now being produced in Denmark under such a program.
Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine’s defense industry has exploded from 10 drone producers in 2022 to more than 500 today.
“You are not in the global defense tech market if your product has not been tested in Ukraine,” he said.
Experts say Ukrainian drone makers now iterate faster than anyone in the world.
“Ukrainian drones are just more capable,” said Konrad Iturbe, a Spanish engineer who helps Ukrainian units modify commercial drones. “They’re made to be repairable in the field, mixed and matched with other drones.”
The country’s combat experience has also reshaped Western doctrine. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has cited Ukraine in redefining drones as expendable assets like bullets – signaling a shift toward mass, low-cost drone warfare.
Post-war, analysts expect Ukraine to become a key defense partner for NATO countries and a leader in affordable drone manufacturing.
“They’re going to have the factories and the parts – very cost effective,” Bohnert said.
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