Ukraine Averaging 100 New Military Models A Month in 2024

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has officially approved more than 900 different weapons and pieces of military equipment for its troops to use so far this year alone.

And as per a recent MoD press statement, of those 900-plus pieces of kit now being used by its Defence Forces, over 600 of them have been manufactured domestically. This comes on top of the 2023 codification of 405 weapons and military equipment models, just over half of which were produced domestically, announced First Deputy Minister of Defence Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk.

Some of the major innovations introduced include motor vehicles, UAVs, ammunition, electronic warfare systems, communication equipment, engineering means, and ground robotic platforms.

Lt. Gen. Havryliuk added: “In 2024, domestic weapon manufacturers not only increased production of a wide range of weapons and military equipment but also created many new models. Specifically, this is about the production of high-tech weapons, the role of which is significantly increasing on the battlefield. We are presently engaged in several significant projects aimed at enhancing our firepower."

He went on: “To enhance the Defence Forces' capabilities in the skies and on land and to broaden the production of effective warfare tools, it is crucial to boost military-technical collaboration with partners. The more we attract financial and technological investments, the less chances the Kremlin will have to implement its aggressive plans.”

The announcement follows news that a U.K. trade delegation led by Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard recently travelled to Kyiv and visited the Ukraine Defence Industrial Forum for a series of meetings and discussions.

As per a press statement the group, which included representatives from the Ministry of Defence, Department for Business and Trade, and the defence trade association ADS, met Ukrainian government and industry representatives to learn more about their requirements for weapons and land systems.

Mr Pollard MP said: "We continue to lead the way in providing military aid, but our support is much broader than simply providing equipment. Our flourishing defence industrial relationship symbolises the work happening across Government and the private sector to ramp up and speed up our support.

"By deepening our ties with Ukraine’s defence industry, we are expanding own industrial capacity, while boosting Ukraine’s own capabilities."

The U.K. MoD has already placed contracts with Thales for air defence missiles and Sheffield Forgemasters for artillery gun barrels forgings; future orders are in the pipeline and will be funded by Ukraine, drawing on its own reserves and £3.5 billion of U.K. export finance.

• You can read further details on the Ukraine MoD website and the U.K. MoD website