Localization of production is moving forward: at least two Ukrainian companies are already independently casting hulls, performing electroplating, and assembling engines for long-range strike drones, but current capacities do not yet cover all military needs.
Localization of production is moving forward: at least two Ukrainian companies are already independently casting hulls, performing electroplating, and assembling engines for long-range strike drones, but current capacities do not yet cover all military needs.
As the executive director of the Ukrainian Council of Armaments Manufacturers, Ihor Fedirko, reported in a video project from «Military», manufacturers have launched a full cycle of power plant manufacturing (from injection molding to final assembly), which opens up opportunities to more quickly adapt engines to different tasks and classes of vehicles. It is emphasized that the demand from the front is currently higher than the pace of serial production.
The development of hardware is accompanied by a bottleneck in electronics, as critical components (transistors, resistors, microcircuits, and other elements) remain import-dependent. According to Fedirko, export restrictions from China have complicated direct deliveries to Ukraine, forcing the use of routes through third countries with double checks and additional deadlines; logistics have become longer, and the cost of components has increased, although alternative supply channels are gradually being built.
Reducing the distance between production and the battlefield provides tangible practical bonuses: repair and replacement of components are faster, engineering corrections based on combat use are implemented without a long wait for imported batches, and feedback from drone operators is quickly converted into new technical revisions. Such a cycle increases the reliability of platforms in an active electronic warfare environment and allows for more precise «tuning» of power plants for specific mission profiles.
Dependence on foreign component base remains a strategic risk, so in parallel with the expansion of engine production, companies are diversifying suppliers, testing component substitutes and planning larger safety stocks. Industry players expect that additional investments in workshop equipment and contracts with related manufacturers will allow them to increase the series and better cover peak demands of military units.
Ukrainian UAVs have gone from point assembly to serial lines with localized components in three years, and engines are one of the most critical elements of this evolution. The next stage involves scaling up production, stabilizing electronics logistics, and standardizing service, which together should reduce technological risks, accelerate fleet renewal, and increase resilience to external supply constraints.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the founder of the American-Ukrainian venture fund Oppenheimer Acceleration, Oleksandr Soroka, announced an investment in the Ukrainian company Scopa Industries. It has created an engine that can accelerate UAVs to over 500 km/h.
