Daily Sabah
March 6, 2023

Ukraine needs ‘incredible amount of drones,’ defense chief says

Ukraine’s defense chief said on Monday that his country needed “an incredible amount of drones,” as Moscow’s war with Kyiv rages on into its second year.

“This is also a game changer. Both drones for reconnaissance and adjustment, shock drones from 3 to 1,000 kilometers (1.8-621 miles), and marine drones. This makes it possible to strike the enemy. And it keeps our military alive by providing situational awareness,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with local news site Liga.

Reznikov said the ministry held a meeting with 80 domestic drone manufacturers to procure the drones it needs with a budget of 20 billion Ukrainian hryvnia ($542.7 million).

Ukraine’s main military drone is the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) which has been used in several war zones, including Syria, Libya and…