Ukraine outpaces Russia in bomber drone production, officer says
Vampire UAV in flight (Photo: REUTERS)
Russia cannot keep up with Ukraine in the output of tactical
heavy bomber drones designed to deliver explosive ordnance across short
distances on the battlefield, Capt. Dmytro
Filatov, commander of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment, told NV on Feb.
24.
Filatov said Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who established the Brave1 procurement platform while serving as minister of digital transformation, helped build a broad network of manufacturers. That network, Filatov said, now produces a larger volume of drones than traditional state-owned defense enterprises can.
“Production has increased tenfold; we see this across the supply chain,” Filatov said in an interview with NV Radio.
“Thanks to this approach, Ukraine has reached a high level in heavy bombers, and the enemy cannot match it with its production capacity.”
In January 2025, Forbes reported that night bomber drones known as Baba Yaga or Vampire have inflicted significant losses on Russian forces, though their operations often go unnoticed. At the end of January 2026, organizers of the Army of Drones 2025 event said the Vampire was the most effective weapons platform on the front in 2025.
Vampire drones have carried out more than 2.5 million combat missions and have inflicted damage on Russian forces worth tens of billions of dollars, according to organizers. The drones are used for strikes on fortified enemy positions, equipment, and personnel. They are also employed for remote minelaying and logistics tasks, delivering supplies to forward infantry positions.
Production of the Vampire bomber drone began in Ukraine in 2022. The large hexacopter has six rotors and can carry a payload of up to 15 kilograms to a range of about 20 kilometers. It is designed to be resilient to electronic warfare, is equipped with GNSS antennae and a bispectral camera, operates effectively at night and can return autonomously after losing its communications link.
The drone is produced by Ukrainian company SkyFall, which
also makes interceptor UAVs designed to counter Russia’s Shahed kamikaze
drones.
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