Ukraine's secret combat drones proving themselves on frontlines, deputy PM says

The "Army of Drones" project launched by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation has delivered more than 1,700 drones to the front, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has announced.

"Among them are Ukrainian-made drones and foreign unmanned aerial vehicles that are in service with NATO countries. Attack drones Vampire, FPV drones Phoenix, high-speed Penguin UAVs, Avengers, as well as Mavics and Matrice," he said.

The official said that "secret birds", drones, which have already proven themselves on the battlefield, are also being transferred to the front.

Fedorov announced that the Russian occupation forces will soon experience the work of these secret drones, and Ukrainians will learn about it from the news.

"Drones will help the Defense Forces conduct reconnaissance, destroy enemy equipment and save the most valuable thing – the lives of our soldiers. Just last month, operators hit 780 pieces of equipment. More to come. We continue to provide drones to all areas of the front and scale up the production of Ukrainian birds," he said.

In September, the Ukrainian-made Ironclad unmanned robot was tested on the front lines: it has a turret, thermal imaging camera, armored shell and can accelerate up to 20 km.

Fedorov promised more Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian ships as Ukraine's UAV production increased more than 100 times in 2023 compared to 2022.

Ukraine is developing its analogue of the Russian Lancet kamikaze drone, which is called Perun. According to the digital transformation minister, there are manufacturers who have already manufactured such a product.