Both Russia and Ukraine recognize that drones are a key asset in modern warfare. With U.S. military aid currently paused, Ukraine has announced plans to scale up domestic production of long-range drones capable of striking infrastructure and military targets deep inside Russia. Even during the Biden administration, the need for independent long-range strike capabilities was evident due to constant delays and deliberations in decision-making.
Russia, meanwhile, fully aware of Ukraine’s air defense shortages (exacerbated by the U.S. policy shift), seeks to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses with relentless drone barrages, employing both strike and decoy UAVs.
Read more in the latest edition of the Drone Warfare in Ukraine newsletter.
Ukraine Plans to Produce 2,000 Long-Range Drones in 2025 (Militarnyi + additional sources).
Ukraine aims to quadruple its production of long-range kamikaze drones, increasing their monthly output to several thousand, according to Ukrainian officials. Currently, Ukraine manufactures several hundred of these drones per month, but this number is expected to surpass 2,000 in the near future. A large-scale expansion of drone production will enable more frequent strikes on Russian military and logistical targets, a key factor in weakening Russia’s combat capabilities.
According to the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine, 100% of the drones targeting Russian military positions are domestically produced. He also noted that “our only concern is financial resources and, accordingly, the technological support and development of these drones.”
A Sky News analysis indicated a rise in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil depots and other infrastructure related to oil production over the past three months. Kyiv has been striking targets deep within Russian territory, reaching hundreds of miles beyond the border despite air defense systems.
Here are some of the long-range drones reportedly in use or development, with estimated technical characteristics where exact details remain undisclosed:
Peklo (Hell) - has a reported range of 700 kilometers and can reach speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour. The first batch of Peklo missile drones had already been delivered to the Ukrainian military and had proved its combat effectiveness.
Palianytsia (Ukrainian Bread) - “has a more or less 20-kilogram fragmentation warhead or other type of warhead, and a flying range of between 500 and 700 kilometers (300-400 miles)”.
Ruta - is a jet drone with a flight range of 300 km; it has a high-speed flight capability at around 500 to 800 km/h.
Liutyi (Fierce) - reportedly, its strike capabilities expanded to 2,000 kilometers (1.242 miles). CNN reported on an operation conducted with the use of Liytyi drones: “Exclusive: Inside a secretive Ukrainian drone unit targeting Russian territory”.
On the night of March 4, a series of strike drones targeted an oil refinery in Syzran, located in Russia’s Samara oblast, and an oil pipeline caught fire in Rostov oblast following a drone strike. On March 3, strike drones attacked an oil refinery in Ufa, which is located about 1400 km (869 miles) from Ukraine.
Vyriy Drone Produces Up to 20,000 FPV Drones Per Month – How They Became a Top-3 Manufacturer in Ukraine Using Toyota’s Approach (Tayisa Melnyk for Forbes Ukraine. Available in Ukrainian)
Vyriy stands out from other FPV drone manufacturers due to its specialization—nearly 50% of its production consists of drones equipped with an auto-targeting system.