KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine has successfully used a domestically produced drone with a range of 1,000 km (620 miles), state arms producer Ukroboronprom said on Tuesday.
Ukroboronprom spokesperson Natalia Sad posted a selfie with a smiling Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Mykola Oleshchuk, commander for the air force, and Yurii Husev, head of Ukroboronprom on Facebook. She said the picture was taken “after successful use of our drone for 1000 km”.
She provided no other details nor say if use of the drone meant it had been tested or actually deployed in the conflict.
Ukraine’s military, government, and private companies are working to create an arsenal of cheap and easy-to-produce drones whch they hope could become a game changer in the war against Russia. It has already employed drones for both reconnaissance and attacks.
In autumn 2022 Ukroboronprom said it was finalizing work on a new drone that had a range of 1000 km and a warhead weighing 75 kg.
On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed into law legislation to exempt domestic drone producers from customs duties and value-added tax, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on Telegram.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Angus MacSwan)