The production capacity of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex this year was estimated at about $35 billion in terms of potentially manufactured products. However, next year only the production of drones and missile-drones may reach a similar level. This was told in a commentary to "Militarniy" by Igor Fedirko, executive director of the Ukrainian Council of Weapons Manufacturers, reported Dengi.ua .
He predicts that the total potential of the Ukrainian defense industry in 2026 will grow to a record 50 billion dollars. According to him, the key issue is to ensure the loading of these capacities, which will require significantly more funding than envisaged by the defense budget.
The expert considers the opening of export opportunities for defense products, the use of frozen Russian assets, as well as the introduction of the "Danish model" - when a foreign state finances contracts for the Ukrainian Defense Forces placed at Ukrainian enterprises - as the main sources.
In addition, Fedirko said that the Ukrainian Council of Armsmakers is discussing with the Defense Procurement Agency and the State Specialized Communications Service the creation of transitional contracts that should smooth out the annual procurement slumps that occur from December to February. These dips lead to three months of production line downtime, and the new scheme should eliminate such delays.
Igor Fedirko also expects the use of ground robotic systems (GRS) to increase and their role in combat operations to expand. In parallel, the segment of drones, including interceptor drones, will grow actively.
In his opinion, next year the state intends to focus on accelerated production of weapons capable of transferring combat operations to the territory of the enemy and disable its defense enterprises, as well as oil and gas infrastructure.
