AeroVironment, a U.S.-based company, has signed an agreement with a Ukrainian company to produce Switchblade 600 loitering munitions in Ukraine. This is one of several recent agreements between Ukrainian and foreign companies to manufacture weapons in Ukraine. The name of the Ukrainian company is not being disclosed for security reasons. The agreement was signed on October 1st at the DFNC2 International Defense Industries Forum in Kyiv, which was attended by nearly 300 companies from over 30 countries.
The Switchblade 600 is a type of loitering munition that can strike targets by crashing into them. It has a flight range of 40 kilometers or more and can stay in the air for over 40 minutes. Brett Hush, a senior vice president at AeroVironments who signed the agreement in Kyiv, praised the Switchblade’s performance and stated that with support and feedback from Ukraine, it will become even better. The Switchblade 600 has been included in U.S. assistance packages to Ukraine since 2022.
The agreement was one of several signed at the forum to increase joint production between Ukrainian and foreign companies as Ukraine continues to build its defense capabilities in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Czechoslovak Group, based in Prague, signed an agreement for the production of heavy artillery ammunition, including 155 shells. Production is expected to begin early next year after the necessary licenses are obtained. Richard Kubena, representing CSG, stated that they have already brought over one million pieces of heavy artillery ammunition to Ukraine since the war started and with this new effort, they hope to double their production capabilities.
D&M Holding Company, based in the U.S., also signed an agreement for joint production of ammunition and specialty chemicals, while Poland’s METALEXPORT signed an agreement for joint production of a strike drone. Additionally, French-German defense company KNDS announced the opening of an office in Kyiv and plans to produce artillery ammunition in Ukraine. These agreements follow a series of joint production announcements between Ukraine and foreign companies, including Germany’s Rheinmetall, Estonia’s Frankenburg Technologies, and Sweden‘s Saab.
During the forum, President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted Ukraine’s significant increase in domestic ammunition production over the past two years and the successful testing of their own ballistic missile. He stated that in the first half of this year alone, Ukraine produced 25 times more artillery and mortar ammunition than in the entire year of 2022. According to the president, Ukraine can now produce 4 million drones per year and has already contracted 1.5 million. The country is also producing between 15-20 Bohdana howitzers per month.
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