Zelenskyy: 450 Drone Firms Power Ukraine’s War Tech Surge

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is no longer just fighting with drones. It is building an entire industrial ecosystem around them, according to UKRINFORM.

Speaking at the Kyiv Aviation Institute during an event honoring legendary aircraft designer Oleg Antonov, Zelenskyy revealed that 450 companies are now producing drones in Ukraine. Of those, 40 to 50 are considered top tier leaders.

That is not a garage startup scene. That is a wartime industrial engine running at full throttle.

“Aviation is one of the promising areas for investment in Ukraine. We are very technological,” Zelenskyy said, adding that everyone wants to invest.

And according to him, 2026 will be the year that money pours in.

Drones Now Rival Agriculture in Ukraine’s Economy

Ukraine’s defense industry is no longer a niche sector fueled only by emergency orders. It is becoming a pillar of the national economy.

According to estimates from the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, military production reached $10 billion in 2024 and could climb to $15 billion in 2025, representing around 7 percent of GDP. That puts it on par with agriculture, long considered one of Ukraine’s economic heavyweights.

Even more striking is the unused capacity. Analysts estimate $30 to $35 billion in production capability remains untapped due to limited domestic demand. With new investment projects, total capacity could reach $50 billion by 2028.

In simple terms, Ukraine has built the factory floor. Now it wants customers.

Ten European Export Hubs Coming in 2026

Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine plans to open 10 weapons export centers across Europe by the end of 2026, focused on Baltic and Northern European countries.

These representative offices would serve as gateways for Ukrainian defense products, potentially unlocking foreign revenue streams that have long been restricted by export licensing hurdles.

For years, Ukraine’s defense manufacturers have depended heavily on state procurement. Regulatory bottlenecks and strict export controls limited international sales, even though global demand for battlefield tested Ukrainian tech has surged.

Private capital is now becoming essential. Ukraine spends nearly all domestic revenue on defense, yet still faces multibillion dollar funding gaps. Without export pathways, some innovators risk relocating abroad where regulations are looser.

Opening European export hubs could change that equation.

Ukrainian Drone Production Expands to Germany and the UK

Zelenskyy also confirmed that Ukrainian drone production will begin in Germany this month, with production lines already operating in the United Kingdom.

These facilities will use Ukrainian technology, effectively exporting not just hardware but expertise.

“Europe’s security is built on technologies and drones,” Zelenskyy told students, framing unmanned systems as the backbone of modern defense architecture.

That statement carries weight. Ukraine’s drone ecosystem has evolved rapidly under battlefield pressure, producing everything from FPV attack drones to long range strike platforms and reconnaissance systems. What began as necessity is now becoming a scalable industry.

If 450 companies are competing and 50 of them are elite, the internal innovation cycle must be fierce. Competition under fire tends to sharpen edges quickly.

DroneXL’s Take

Ukraine is quietly building one of the most battle hardened drone industries on the planet, and the numbers suggest this is no temporary wartime spike but a structural transformation of its economy.

If export channels open and foreign investment accelerates in 2026, Ukraine could shift from being a consumer of Western defense aid to becoming a major supplier of unmanned systems across Europe.

In modern warfare, drones are not just tools in the sky. They are factories, software labs, and geopolitics wrapped into one buzzing ecosystem. And for now, Ukraine is hoarding all the experience they can, every day, with every casualty.

Photo credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Militarnyi, Wild Hornets.