Mykhailo Fedorov Announces Future Reduction of the “Drone Zoo”

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Defense Minister, reported plans to conduct a systematic review of the country’s drone fleet and phase out ineffective systems.

He announced this at a press conference marking his first month in office, the Cabinet of Ministers reported.

According to the Minister, the Ministry has reviewed the performance of all UAVs used over the past months.

They also identified the current needs for the first quarter of the year.

“The aim is to define real demand based on high-quality analytics and eliminate the so-called ‘zoo’ of diverse and low-efficiency systems,” Mykhailo Fedorov said.

To achieve this, a “synchronization matrix” has been launched – a tool for analyzing the performance of units and specific drone models.

In the near future, the defense ministry plans to receive systematic assessments of the effectiveness of each crew and each unmanned aerial vehicle.

Separately, Mykhailo Fedorov announced a change in the approach to cooperation with partners within the Ramstein format, where Ukraine presented specific projects and operational plans.

According to him, funding has been secured for drone assault units, basic support for UAV brigades, deep-strike capabilities, and additional PAC-3 missiles for air defense.

Meanwhile, the creation of competence centers has begun in the areas of drones, Middle Strike, Deep Strike, and artillery, as well as the development of domestic anti-ballistic solutions in cooperation with partners.

The Ministry of Defense also announced the introduction of digital officers within corps and brigades to accelerate the integration of technologies into combat units.

Recently, the ministry also stated that it will simplify the codification process for new weapons systems.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is launching a program to guarantee monthly supplies of various types of drones to combat units.