Stand-alone drone corps to bolster Ukraine military with battlefield data, supply chain agility

The new type of force is meant to be the next step after the creation of the Army of Drones, which involves training operators, shifting production, developing a doctrine of use, and opening the market.

"The new type of troops will help to accumulate people with experience faster, get feedback from the battlefield faster, and strengthen certain parts of the frontline faster thanks to the new units that will be created," said the official.

“These are people who understand how to collect high-quality statistics, how to do radio frequency planning, how to formulate requirements for drones, how to respond to an evolving war.”

A separate drone force will also solve logistics issues: high-quality data from the front will allow for a quick response to who needs to be issued which types of drones.

The foundation of the drone force will include the ability to synchronize the quality control of both UAVs and electronic warfare, Minister Fedorov said.

"The most logical thing would be to unite these two areas under a single manager in order to build a system of electronic warfare control, so that electronic intelligence, delivery of drones and technical support are synchronized as much as possible to conduct quick and effective operations," the official stated. “

So that electronic warfare does not interfere with our drones.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree on Feb. 6 instructing the military to create a separate branch of the Armed Forces for drones: the Unmanned Systems Forces.

The head of state stressed that Ukraine was increasing drone production and called it one of the main tasks for 2024.