Sky News gets rare look inside Ukraine's secret drone factory
Illustrative photo: Media showed a secret drone production plant in Ukraine (Getty Images)
British Sky News gained exclusive access to one of Ukraine’s drone production plants to show how the country is using technology in the war against Russia.
According to the outlet, the company General Cherry Drones, founded by volunteers at the start of the full-scale invasion, has increased production a thousandfold: from 100 drones per month to hundreds of thousands. Yet, according to company representative Andriy Lavrenovych, this is still not enough for the front.
“The Russians have a lot of troops, a lot of vehicles and our soldiers every day tell us we need more, we need more weapons, we need better, we need faster, we need higher,” he emphasized.
A similar view was expressed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said that Russia has increased drone production, while Ukraine cannot expand its scale due to a lack of funding.
Drone production plants are kept secret and even relocated to avoid Russian strikes. In facilities that outwardly look like ordinary offices, drones are assembled by hand — from quadcopters with explosives to devices capable of attacking Russian reconnaissance drones. Each unit is tested before being sent to the front.
The cost of a Ukrainian drone is about $1,000. It can destroy an enemy aircraft worth hundreds of times more.
However, Russia is trying to catch up. Propaganda footage from its factories shows hundreds of new Geran strike drones ready to launch against Ukraine. The Kremlin is improving Iranian Shaheds, making them faster and deadlier.
Russia is also developing fiber-optic cable-guided drone technologies that cannot be jammed.
Ukraine is also creating similar models, but the Russians began production earlier and received support from China.
Ukrainian engineers emphasize that this is a constant race of innovations, turning the war into a “sci-fi battle of machines.” According to their data, already 80% of strikes at the front are carried out by drones.
As Sky News journalists conclude, whoever gains the advantage in the drone war in Ukraine will have it in future global conflicts as well.
Drone production in Ukraine
After the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has significantly increased arms production and the introduction of new technologies, which are already operating on the front.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukrainian arms production has increased 35 times since the start of the full-scale war. Ukraine plans to raise this figure further.
In July of this year, Ukraine and the American company Swift Beat signed a memorandum on expanding drone production. Under it, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive the drones needed to destroy missiles.
Ukraine has also reached an agreement with Denmark to launch a joint line for the production of long-range drones. Meanwhile, negotiations with the United States are ongoing.
