Mini-jet engine manufacturers in Europe are increasing production and investments to prevent an inevitable shortage of supplies of this product to Ukraine.
Mini-jet engine manufacturers in Europe are increasing production and investments to prevent an inevitable shortage of supplies of this product to Ukraine.
According to Reuters, such a scenario threatens to slow down the Ukrainian program to develop drones for deep strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The agency was informed of the potential shortage of mini-engines by more than 10 weapons experts, company representatives, and government officials.
«There is a huge bottleneck in the production of mini-jet engines in Europe,» expert Fabian Hoffmann noted in a commentary.
Meanwhile, a source in the Ukrainian defense industry, who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity, said that the shortage of mini-engines «is probably the main factor limiting the number of long-range missile-type drones produced,» calling it «a big problem for our missile program.»
Chief operating officer of the Ukrainian Council of Gunsmiths, Maria Popova, agreed with the existence of a limited space for turbojet engines for drones, as well as the materials necessary for their production.
«Offers remain limited both globally and, more acutely, in Ukraine,» she said.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on defense industry issues, declined to comment on whether such a shortage had an impact on the industry.
Meanwhile, Czech company PBS Group, which manufactures such products, has increased production fivefold since 2023 and expects this figure to increase eightfold by the end of this year as demand in Ukraine grows.
«Our capabilities are stretched to the limit,» PBS global director Stanislav Lisner told Reuters.
According to Lisner, PBS plans to double production at its Czech plant over the next two years as manufacturers expand production lines, hire workers and form partnerships to meet demand.
PBS turbojet engines power deep strike drones such as the Palanytsia.
«We are seeing an increase in demand for these weapons from Ukraine,» said Adam Vysotsky, head of Czech turbojet engine manufacturer ZofiTech, which supplies almost all of its engines to Ukraine and expects demand to «reach thousands in the coming months.»
Pavlo Chehal, who heads CSG’s jet engine division, said the company plans to produce about 1,000 turbojet engines in 2026, mainly for long-range drones with a flight range of 400 to 600 km. It is expected that about 35% of the production will be sent to Ukraine.
According to the publication, some Ukrainian drone manufacturers are working on developing their own engines to reduce dependence on suppliers, but production remains limited.
Previously, dev.ua wrote that the Fire Point company has achieved 90% localization of its own drones — they emphasize that they have achieved almost a full cycle of closed production.
