Ukraine is making mini-turbojet engines a top priority for its defense industry as they power a new wave of high-speed interceptor drones and long-range strike weapons, officials said.
The defense minister, Yevhenii Khmara, told reporters the projected monthly need for a single engine model could reach 10,000 units, a demand that would be spread across 20 Ukrainian manufacturers.
State-backed innovation platform Brave1 confirmed that supporting domestic production of these powerplants has been a focus for the past year and a half, with 20 active projects that mix government and private initiatives.
Current Ukrainian medium-range drones, equipped with jet engines, have been used to strike Russian logistics and supply routes in occupied southern regions, while cruise-missile variants can reach targets hundreds of miles inside Russian territory.
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Russian forces are increasingly deploying jet-powered attack drones that can travel up to 375 mph, far faster than earlier piston-engine models limited to about 115 mph. This speed boost makes them harder to intercept.
In response, Ukrainian defense firms are developing faster interceptors powered by turbojet powerplants; the latest models have already downed several of Russia’s fastest drones, according to military sources.
Following a late-September meeting on the drone threat, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced “new decisions” regarding domestic jet-engine production, though his office provided no further details.
