Drones outperform artillery on the battlefield — Ukraine's Deputy Commander-in-Chief

Significant technological advancements have occurred on the battlefield over the past three years, Lebedenko said.

"The command of the Armed Forces recognizes this technological potential," he said.

"Our primary goal is to identify the most effective solutions to safeguard the lives of our soldiers."

Continuous advancements in unmanned systems are essential for Ukrainian forces, including machine vision, artificial intelligence components, drone swarms, and advanced electronic warfare systems.

The focus for Ukrainian forces and weapons manufacturers is on technological improvements. Key areas include interceptors, artillery fire correction systems, counter-battery warfare, and unmanned systems capable of operating at both operational (up to 100 km) and strategic depths (over 100 km).

Drones are utilized in air, water, and ground operations, explained Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Ukrainian soldiers have extensive experience working with aerial drones that operate at tactical depths (up to 20 km), he said. The Ukrainian army currently possesses over 165 aerial units.

"We are actively engaging with manufacturers to explore ways to enhance these capabilities," Sukharevsky said.

"We invite manufacturers to join us, visit our training grounds, and work together to enhance the weapons and tools vital for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

Drone production in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on June 25 to establish the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on June 10 appointed Sukharevskyi as the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Sukharevskyi said on July 18 that the Ukrainian military does not lag behind Russia in the number of UAVs used on the battlefield, and may even be ahead in that regard.