Former Ukrainian container manufacturer now produces drones

Since 2023, in Kharkiv, a businessman who manufactured plastic containers before to the war has been producing drones for the Ukrainian army.

Before the Russian invasion, a drone manufacturing facility’s owner was producing plastic containers in Kharkiv, Oblast. After relocating to the western region of Ukraine, he secured a position in rail logistics. Ukrainian Security Services presented him with a long-range drone prototype in the summer of 2023 and requested that he replicate it.

Amid battlefield challenges, Ukraine launched long-range drone attacks deep into Russian territory, targeting vital infrastructure such as oil refineries, airfields, and logistics. The goal of these attacks is to cut off Moscow’s export revenues, which are vital for maintaining the war effort, and interfere with the Russian military’s access to fuel.

“In our entire lives, we’d never built anything similar to that,” he said. He recruited many aviation industry veterans from Ukraine, which held a prominent position during the Soviet era. 75 people currently staff a production line, which begins operations with the compression of fiberglass mesh into molds shaped like wings, tail fins, and noses. The components undergo an 11-hour furnace solidification period before merging to form a miniature aircraft with a wing span of 6.6 feet (2 meters). A separate facility assembles both the explosives and the engine.

The proprietor maintains the confidentiality of the drone plant’s location in order to ensure the safety of employees in the face of potential Russian assaults.

Ukraine’s defense against Russia has relied heavily on drones, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in January that one of the country’s highest priorities for 2024 is to surpass Russia in drone operations.

Zelenskyy signed a decree in February establishing a drone-specific branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The following month, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced the launch of drone operation programs at seven vocational schools in Ukraine.

Source: Newsroom