Mini-turbojet engines have become a growing priority for Ukraine’s defense industry as the country relies on them to power the next generation of high-speed interceptor drones and long-range strike weapons.
Ukraine has long sourced weapons and components from partner nations. But as the country builds more of its own drones and missiles, reducing that dependency and increasing its self-sufficiency has become more important.
Yevhenii Khmara, Ukraine’s defense minister, told reporters over the weekend that Kyiv views jet engine production as a “critical area” for its local defense industry. For one specific engine model, he said, projected monthly demand could reach 10,000 units.
Khmara said that the demand would be spread across just 20 Ukrainian manufacturers.
Brave1, Ukraine’s state-backed innovation platform, said that supporting domestic jet engine production has been a priority for the past year and a half. The 20 active projects include a mix of government and private initiatives.
Large-scale mini-turbojet engine production is “crucial for effectively protecting our skies, and we are working hand-in-hand with the Defense Forces to deliver it at pace,” Brave1 told Business Insider in a statement on Tuesday.
Ukraine puts jet engines in medium-range drones, which it has used to hit Russian logistics and supply routes across occupied regions of southern Ukraine, and deep-strike weapons, including its cruise missiles that can reach military and energy targets hundreds of miles across the border.
Jet engines are also essential for Ukraine as it builds a next generation of interceptors to counter a rise in Russian jet-powered attack drones.
Earlier Ukrainian interceptor models were designed to counter Russian drones powered by piston engines, which could reach speeds of up to 115 mph. But Moscow is increasingly using jet-powered drones that travel much faster; some variants can reach up to 375 mph and are much harder to intercept.
Ukrainian defense firms are now developing faster interceptors, some of which are powered by turbojet engines. The next generation of interceptors has already downed several of Russia’s fastest drones.
Following a meeting with military leadership in late September on the Russian drone threat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that “new decisions” had been made concerning domestic jet engine production, according to a statement from his office at the time. He did not elaborate further.
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