US company to produce hundreds of thousands of drones for Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense has signed a memorandum of understanding for a long-term strategic partnership with the American company Swift Beat – this involves the production of hundreds of thousands of drones this year and further scaling up. This was reported by the Office of the president.
The cooperation agreement was signed during a visit by the Ukrainian delegation to Denmark: the memorandum was signed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the company's CEO Eric Schmidt in the presence of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"The document provides for the expansion of the company's production capacity, and modern drones will be supplied to Ukraine on a priority basis, under special conditions and at cost," the Office of the president said.
According to the department, thanks to this partnership, the number of necessary drones in Ukraine will significantly increase – we are talking about hundreds of thousands of drones in 2025 and a further increase in volumes next year. In particular, the head of the Ministry of Defense Umerov noted that this concerns the production of "a large number of interceptor drones" against Russian Shahed-type drones, which have already proven their effectiveness.
In total, Swift Beat will manufacture the following drones for Ukraine:
→ interceptor drones to destroy Russian drones and missiles;
→ quadcopters for reconnaissance, surveillance, fire adjustment, and logistics;
→ medium-class strike drones for engaging enemy targets.
Also, the Office of the president added that the plans include the development of innovative solutions – the creation of interceptors for cruise and ballistic missiles, automatic turrets, and reconnaissance platforms (presumably referring to ground drones. – Ed.).
Swift Beat specializes in the production of autonomous drones with artificial intelligence and already has a presence in Ukraine. The company collaborates with Ukrainian engineers and military personnel, conducting drone testing within the country.
- Earlier, while communicating with German defense industry companies, Umerov stated that the Ukrainian defense industry is capable of producing up to 10 million drones per year – and, if adequate funding is provided, the country will be able to produce even more modern weapons.
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