Ukraine sees tenfold increase in attack UAV production — military expert Zgurets

Ukraine to sign a security agreement with France

Ukraine will receive a new batch of weapons from France. The allocation of this military aid package will be coordinated with the signing of a security agreement between Ukraine and France during President Macron's visit to Kyiv. This was announced by Emmanuel Macron. According to him, Ukraine will receive additional 40 Scalp missiles and several hundred bombs. We are well aware of the effectiveness of the British and French Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles. Especially after strikes on bays and factories in the temporarily occupied Crimea. As for the hundreds of bombs, it turns out that France has an extremely interesting serial development that makes sense for Ukraine to transfer. It is a high-precision hybrid bomb and missile called AASM Hammer by the French company Safran. This is actually a small-tech kit that turns conventional unguided bombs into precision weapons. The basis of these missiles is a bomb of 250 to 1000 kg. The bomb itself consists of several parts, one of which provides high-precision targeting. The targeting head itself can be available in three different versions, including satellite, thermal imaging and laser systems. The range of such precision missiles exceeds 70 km. Therefore, we look forward to the delivery of this ammunition, which will significantly expand the potential of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Russian troops keep trying to seize Avdiivka

Over the past day, 98 combat engagements took place along the entire frontline. This is a very high figure. We could see similar figures in the summer, when the fighting with Russia was at its peak. One third of these clashes took place in the area around Avdiivka. Now the Russian army is trying to advance there.

Dmytro Lazutkin, head of public relations at the 47th Brigade, spoke about the successful work of M2 Bradley crews. In particular, he said, the crews in the M2 Bradley feel more confident than in Soviet BMPs. They have also mastered these American BMPs and know the capabilities of the vehicle. That is why, as Lazutkin noted, they can approach the invading forces so boldly and destroy them. Lazutkin added that the M2 Bradley has been in service with the brigade for a long time, and now the soldiers are demonstrating its capabilities in the Donetsk region.

Dmytro Lazutkin, said that the Russian troops are trying to advance further between Stepove and the Avdiivka Coke Plant. They are also entering the village of Stepove. According to Lazutkin, the invaders tried to gain a foothold in this settlement. However, Ukrainian units regularly drive them out. In fact, today the area between Stepove and the railroad is a zone of active hostilities. The Russian forces’ advance is detected and destroyed on the approaches to the railroad, but sometimes they manage to break through and move on with the help of infantry groups and armored vehicles.

Map of hostilities near Avdiivka as of January 17

Dmytro Lazutkin said that the invaders are constantly trying to take into account weather conditions and select the means of destruction that will be most effective. Instead, the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteract any attempts by the Russians to push our defense lines. According to Lazutkin, the situation in the Avdiivka sector is really difficult. The front line in this area remains unchanged thanks to the extraordinary heroism of Ukrainian servicemen.

The military also commented on the needs of Ukrainian units in the Avdiivka sector. In particular, he emphasized that the Defense Forces always need FPV drones. These weapons play a huge role on the battlefield. A considerable amount of enemy equipment and personnel is constantly destroyed by FPV drones. Lazutkin added that there is a need for electronic warfare equipment, which is an extremely important component of combat operations today.

Ukraine is seeing an increase in drone production

Maksym Sheremet, founder of DroneSpace, said that there has been an increase in drone production in Ukraine. In many cases, there has been a positive impact and the target for the number of drones has been met. In particular, the production of strike UAVs has increased tenfold.

According to Sheremet, contacts with manufacturers are determined by different departments. In most cases, military units themselves act as customers. However, as Sheremet noted, there are multiple challenges to scaling up drone production. These include the supply of components, the financial component, and qualified engineering staff. The state can help solve these problems and help manufacturers increase production. Sheremet emphasized that the first and most important thing the state can do is to motivate manufacturers with large contracts.

FPV drone KH-S7 (photo: Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces)

Maksym Sheremet also commented on the calls for drone production at home. He is convinced that the very concept of scaling up drone production, which does not involve funding and staff training, does not allow for such a task. As production increases before the launch of assembly line production, new approaches to production are often discovered. This is the main idea behind scaling up drone production.

Maksym Sheremet summarized that his company has big plans to scale up production. However, such plans depend on the unification of the main elements that ensure the task of integration into different complexes and reduce the defects in UAV parts.