Ukraine’s industry produces large numbers of FPV drones, and these unmanned vehicles are increasingly often used in wartime. However, these efforts are hampered by a lack of skilled engineers.
FPV drones – illustrative photo. Image credit: mil.in.ua
The war in Ukraine showed that small FPV drones can play an almost decisive role on the battlefield. With their help, hundreds of pieces of equipment are destroyed and serious blows to manpower are inflicted on both sides.
According to recent media reports, at the moment, about 50 thousand units of such drones are produced in Ukraine per month. In the Russian Federation, this number is six times higher – it reaches around 300,000 according to approximate estimates.
The Ukrainian edition of Forbes spoke with key Ukrainian industry specialists and volunteers who supply drones to the frontline. Currently, there are about 200 mini-drone production companies operating in Ukraine.
The number of these companies seems large, but at present they can meet only 10-15% of the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to Forbes, Ukraine’s main problem is the lack of qualified engineers to design and assemble drones.
To reach the level of Russian production, about 6,000 engineers are needed. However, even 2,000 specialists would be enough for the first stage, specialists say, but they are not easy to find and attract for this kind of work, despite the high salaries in this field.
Analysts now estimate that the local military drone industry in Ukraine consists of about 1,000 people, each assembling about 50 drones a month.
The needs of the Ukrainian army, which has proven the effectiveness of using drones in battles against the aggressor, are measured in hundreds of thousands of drones.
At the same time, the publication notes that production companies are training specialists at an accelerated pace. However, it takes months to train highly qualified craftsmen specialized in electronics assembly tasks.
Before the Russian invasion, Ukrainian universities did not train enough personnel in avionics, radio electronics and other related specialties necessary for the production of combat drones, and many engineers went abroad.
The problem is aggravated by the fact that every candidate must be vetted for ties to Russia. However, Ukrainian drone manufacturers are not giving up and are launching free short-term courses for which thousands of people have already signed up, Forbes writes.
Written by Vytautas Valinskas