Latest news with #DefenseProcurementAgency
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Ukraine is pumping millions of dollars into drones built to kill the Russian ones attacking its cities
Russia is regularly hammering Ukrainian cities with one-way attack drones. Kyiv, however, intends to meet that threat by pouring millions of dollars into interceptor drones designed to engage Russian threats. In a statement posted to Telegram on Wednesday, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced four contracts for drone intercept technology worth over $72 million. "Special attention was given to drone interceptors capable of countering Russian Shaheds," Shmyhal said in the statement, which noted that Ukraine is also pursuing international partnerships for additional purchases. Earlier in the month, the director of Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency, Arsen Zhumadilov, told local media that the agency had contracts for tens of thousands of interceptor drones, weapons which are now being mass-produced. Zhumadilov did not provide a value for those contracts. Interceptor drones have become an inexpensive option for defeating front-line loitering munitions and higher-end uncrewed reconnaissance assets, but the drones are increasingly being seen as an option for countering Shaheds, a term for a family of Iranian-designed attack drones that Russia also makes domestically. Russia frequently deploys homemade versions of the Iranian-designed Shahed, called the Geran-2, to bolster its strike packages, mixing them in with decoy activity and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Such employment creates a more complicated threat for Ukrainian air defense systems, already stretched thin. Ukraine has reported that Russia is arming its drones with bigger payloads and thermobaric warheads, increasingly operating them in ways that make them difficult to shoot down with inexpensive solutions, like mounted machine guns. Ukraine has more sophisticated air defenses, but limited availability and prohibitive costs are pushing the country to find more innovative solutions. Ukraine is believed to have about half a dozen operational Patriot batteries among its other air defenses. A Patriot battery consists of as many as eight launchers, which can hold up to 16 missiles. These weapons are useful for countering aircraft and ballistic missile threats. US lawmakers approved a decision to send more Patriot air defense systems to Germany last week after agreeing that Germany would frontload Patriot systems to boost Ukrainian defenses. Each Patriot interceptor missile costs over $3 million. Missile production is limited, and overuse strains already limited stockpiles. That makes them less than ideal for combating drones. Defensive interceptor drones function similarly to interceptor missiles, though drones are drastically cheaper and more easily produced. Without other options, the continuous barrage of Shahed-style drones flooding Ukrainian airspace, coupled with missile strikes, is bound to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses. Recent assessments by Western military experts suggest Russia is poised to overwhelm Ukrainian cities with thousands of drones in a single night. In an effort to tout domestic drone production, Russian state media recently broadcast modified American-designed pickup trucks featuring a launch configuration for Shahed-style drones, which are capable of loitering in the air before diving onto a target. Russia began using the Iranian-manufactured drones three years ago, but it quickly turned to its own domestic industries for producing the drones.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Ukraine Deploying ‘Tens Of Thousands' Of Interceptors To Stop Shaheds
Sting interceptor drones are now being produced at scale by the nonprofit Wild Hornets Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency has signed contracts for 'tens of thousands' of interceptor drones, according to director Arsen Zhumadilov speaking in an interview published on July 14th. The U.S. decision to supply more Patriot air defence missile batteries to Ukraine is vital to protect against Russian missiles. But stopping the massive drone onslaught is a job for far more numerous interceptor drones. The Numbers Game The strength of the Iranian-designed Shahed drones lies in their vast numbers. The low-cost drones fly at around 120 mph, with similar performance to a WW1 aircraft, and are just as easy to shoot down. The problem is the sheer volume of them. In June Russia launched over 5,000 Shahed-type drones (this includes smaller Gerbera and Parodiya types). The highest number in one night was 728. This is far too many for system like Patriot to handle. The U.S. total production capacity is only around 650 Patriot missiles per year. These missiles cost $3.3 million each – roughly 100 times as much as a Shahed. Patriots are still needed to counter Russia's ballistic and cruise missiles, of which 181 were launched last month . These pose a major threat in addition to the drones. But Shaheds require something that can be scaled up as rapidly as the Russians can make their attack drones. Ukrainian mobile fire groups, like this one using a .50 cal M2 Browning machine gun with special ... More sighting systems, have been a mainstay of the counter-Shahed defense Previously relied on mobile fire groups equipped with anti-aircraft machineguns, thermal imagers and tablet computers. These groups were linked them to a nationwide command-and-control and sensor system which tracks the slow-moving Shaheds. But the Shaheds have switched tactics, flying at 10,000 feet or more, above the ceiling of antiaircraft fire, and plunging down vertically when they reach the target. The rate of downing Shaheds dopped from 95% or more to 86% last month, so around three times as many were getting through. Machineguns cannot reach Shaheds flying at altitude. But small, fast interceptor drones can. Interceptor Evolution As we have seen, in 2024 Ukraine was rapidly modified its ground attack FPV drones, turning them into interceptors to bring down Russian reconnaissance drones. Previously almost immune, the Russian fixed-wing drones were soon being brought down by the hundred. The interceptor pilots, adapting air-to-air dogfighting tactics, became expert in taking out Russian drones , denying them the ability to see targets and direct artillery, rockets, missiles and drone strikes. A Sting interceptor drone It was a small step from reconnaissance drones to Shaheds. The attack drones are more massive, at over 400 pounds, and fly slightly higher and faster than the original FPV interceptors. This has required some design modifications, and we have seen aerodynamic bullet-shaped quadcopters (like Wild Hornet's Sting interceptor) and delta-winged arrow shapes as well as traditional designs. Prices quoted are in the region of $1,000- $5,000 depending on speed, range and endurance, many acquired via private fundraisers like Serhii Sternenko Crucially, production can be rapidly scaled up to meet the magnitude of the threat. But while we know there are lot of Shahed interceptors out there, operational security meant that very little information has been released. Basically, there has been a news blackout on Shahed interceptor operations until now. There have been a few reports of Shaheds brought down by drones and some alleged videos but little official information. That may be changing. This week President Zelensky praised the work on interceptor teams, noting on his Facebook page that "Interceptor drones are performing especially well — already hundreds of Russian-Iranian Shahed drones have been shot down this week," Interestingly we have more from the other side. Scaling Up The Shield Alexey Rogozin. CEO of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation claimed on his Telegram channel media that Ukrainian interceptor drones had downed over 500 Shaheds under the 'Clear Sky' initiative to defend Kyiv, using drones guided by radar and visual systems. This interceptor was unveiled by President Zelensky last year, but no details have been provided. 'In a few months since its launch, the system has intercepted more than 500 Geran [i.e. Shahed] attack drones,' according to Rogozin. 'In fact, we are talking about an urban anti-drone dome built on the mass use of small-sized interceptors, primarily FPV drones. The system includes calculations on vehicles, a monitoring and coordination center and a training center.' Rogozin is confident that big enough waves of Shaheds can break through the interceptors, but notes that they reverse the previous cost equation. Now it is more expensive to attack than to defend. Knocking out hundreds of Shaheds is an achievement, but with Zhumadilov's announcement deployment will shift to a much larger scale. "Tens of thousands [of interceptor drones]. This is what we have already contracted and will continue to contract. Our contracting now, on the one hand, depends on the manufacturer's capacity, and on the other hand, on the state budget's capacity," Zhumadilov told Ukrainian outlet Babel. "We will definitely contract everything that the state budget can afford.' Zhumadilov also said that is a manufacturer can produce more drones than Ukraine can afford, they could be funded by allied countries. This is in line with comments made by President Zelensky last month at the G7 summit, when he said that Ukraine has the drone interceptor technology but would need assistance to scale it up. He noted that the interceptor technology would benefit other countries. This is not likely to be the last war featuring massed long-range drone barrages. Russia's drone attacks have scaled up by a factor of ten in the past year. The interceptor effort is ramping up to match it, and looks like the best hope for stemming the rising civilian casualties returning to the days of 95%+ interception rates. The best hope, that is, until Ukraine's long-range attacks can take out Shahed production centers and stop the problem at its source.
Russia Today
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine hit by another military corruption scandal
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has arrested several military officials for their alleged involvement in a corruption scheme that resulted in tens of thousands of defective mortar shells being sent to the front, thus compromising operations. Ukraine has long been notorious for its rampant corruption, a problem exacerbated when large military procurement orders began being placed. Complaints from frontline soldiers about subpar 120mm mortar shells began to pour in late last year. Service members claimed that only one in ten shells exploded due to a smorgasbord of problems, including wet powder and faulty fuses. Local media later reported that as many as 100,000 shells had been recalled, and that authorities had launched an investigation. In a statement on Tuesday, the SBU said that a defense plant in Dnepropetrovsk Region supplied the military with 120,000 mortar rounds unsuitable for combat use. Without identifying the facility, the agency said that it had detained four suspects, including the plant's director general, his deputy, as well as two military officials who were responsible for receiving the rounds and overseeing production. According to the SBU, the plant signed a contract with Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency to produce 120,000 mortar shells. However, in some cases, the plant used 'low-quality materials and performed defective work' to produce the shells. This way, the agency continued, 'the organizers of the scheme tried to reduce the cost of production in order to get a greater profit from the state order.' Moreover, the military officials overseeing the process were involved in the scheme and deliberately 'turned a blind eye' to the defective batch of ammunition, the statement read. The defendants are now charged with aggravated obstruction of the military leading to severe consequences, and face 15 years in prison. Last year, several media reports indicated that the mortar shell crisis was only one facet of the difficulties in the Ukrainian defense industry, which was struggling to begin mass domestic production due to logistics and personnel issues. Corruption has also been a long-standing issue in Ukraine's defense sector, especially after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. Kiev's Western backers have acknowledged the problem, citing graft as a major obstacle to the country's EU integration. Earlier this week, US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz called for proper oversight of American aid to Kiev, calling Ukraine 'one of the most corrupt countries in the world.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine appoints deputy defense ministers to boost efficiency, partnerships
The government approved the appointments of three deputy defense ministers to ensure "greater efficiency and agility" in the ministry's work and boost ties with foreign partners, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on April 29. Serhii Boyev, previously a deputy minister for international partnerships, was appointed first deputy defense minister. He is replacing Ivan Havryliuk, who resigned voluntarily on April 11 following a scandal over the transparency of defense procurement. Boyev was tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy to meet the needs of the Ukrainian army and build the "Defense Forces of the future." "Serhii Boyev's priorities will be the development of international partnerships, securing funding and investment for Ukraine's defense-industrial complex, and establishing joint ventures with international partners," Umerov said. Lieutenant General Mykola Shevtsov has taken on the role of deputy defense minister, focusing on logistics and procurement. Umerov described him as the one who helped to "establish effective mechanisms for supplying and supporting troops on the front lines." Pro-reform MPs and anti-corruption activists have lambasted Umerov for what they see as efforts to destroy the independence of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), which was created in 2022 to make defense procurement more transparent and counter corruption. The scandal placed the Defense Ministry in the spotlight, with Umerov facing investigation over alleged abuse of power. Oleksandr Kozenko, a former adviser to Umerov and Presidential Office Head Andrii Yermak, has been appointed deputy defense minister in charge of aviation development. Separately, the defense minister announced the resignation of his deputy, Serhii Melnyk. Melnyk will continue to work "in another area," Umerov added. Read also: Transfer of Abrams tanks from Australia to Ukraine stalled due to US resistance, media reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deputy defense minister resigns following procurement scandal
Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk said on April 11 he had decided to resign as first deputy defense minister. Havryliuk told the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne that he is stepping down voluntarily, without elaborating on the reason for his decision. Tetiana Nikolayenko, a journalist and member of the civic oversight council at the Defense Ministry, claimed earlier on April 11 that Havryliuk may resign due to a conflict with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The resignation of Havryliuk, who was in charge of procurement at the Defense Ministry, follows a scandal over the transparency of defense procurement. Umerov has been lambasted by pro-reform MPs and anti-corruption activists for what they see as his efforts to destroy the independence of the Defense Procurement Agency, which was created in 2022 to make defense procurement more transparent and crack down on corruption. In January Umerov fired Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA). On April 7, Havryliuk also announced the ministry planned to merge the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Rear Operator (DOT), a sister agency overseeing the procurement of non-lethal supplies for the Armed Forces. He said that the merger may take place after martial law is lifted. One of NATO and European partners' requirements for Ukraine was the establishment of two agencies that would be directly responsible for procurement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not through the Defense Ministry or contractors. The defense procurement sector was reshaped in December 2023, aiming to meet NATO standards. The DPA, first established in August 2022, was to focus solely on lethal aid. Meanwhile, the DOT was formed to purchase non-lethal aid such as food and clothing. Havryliuk was appointed first deputy defense minister in charge of procurement in May 2024. In early March, he was appointed a member of the DPA's Supervisory Board along with Stanislav Haider, Umerov's ex-deputy who was dismissed last fall. Read also: Allies launch electronic warfare coalition to back Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
