Ukraine’s secret factories: The rise of combat drone production in a modern war

(SeaPRwire) –   LVIV, Ukraine: Exclusive — The Iranian-made Shahed drones that frequently strike Lviv are now being countered by weapons manufactured nearby — in concealed facilities where former students and office employees work nonstop to assemble kamikaze drones and interceptor systems.

What started as an ad-hoc wartime initiative has transformed into one of the globe’s most rapidly expanding military drone sectors. A Ukrainian official claims Kyiv now outpaces NATO in battlefield innovation and can provide valuable, hard-earned insights for the U.S. and Israel as they face similar Iranian drone technology in the Gulf region.

“Drone technology has completely altered the frontline situation,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi stated in an exclusive interview with Digital. “Perhaps in six months or a year, we will possess the capability to deploy 1,000 drones simultaneously.”

“With deeper cooperation between Ukraine, the United States, Israel, and Europe, we can develop the specialized equipment needed for our victory,” he added.

Dmytro, the CEO of a Ukrainian drone company producing about 1,000 drones weekly, told Digital, “We are three or four steps ahead of other nations… this is a new type of warfare,” he explained. “It is a war of information technology.”

Inexpensive drones now enable small combat units to locate and eliminate tanks, armored vehicles, and even advanced air defense systems that previously required costly missiles or fighter jets.

This shift is evident across western Ukraine, where defense tech hubs, clandestine workshops, and testing sites now function, even as city life is routinely disrupted by air raid alarms.

Inside a workshop visited by Digital, workers swiftly moved between tables laden with propellers, fiber-optic cables, and other classified drone parts. The employees stated they no longer consider themselves civilians offering temporary aid. Many now see drone manufacturing as critical to Ukraine’s continued existence.

Vitaliy, a technician assembling kamikaze drones for the front, said he now produces hundreds of drone components daily. “Targets include vehicles, tanks, soldiers, and positions,” he told Digital.

Commenting on former President Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war, Vitaliy remarked, “I feel honored to be helping my country achieve peace more quickly.” He continued, “Peace through strength is our motivation. But the responsibility lies primarily with us, certainly.”

Ukraine’s domestic drone output has grown at an astonishing rate. Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boev said earlier this year the nation plans to manufacture over seven million drones in 2026, a significant increase from an estimated four million in 2025.

From AI-enhanced battlefield systems to drones hardened against Russian electronic jamming, Ukraine’s wartime advancements are revealing weaknesses in conventional Western military strategy.

At another defense technology center in Lviv, a showroom filled with rows of interceptor drones, unmanned ground vehicles, and remote weapon stations showcases Ukraine’s fast-developing combat ecosystem.

“We have approximately 250 technology companies in our network,” said Volodymyr Cherniuk, co-founder of the Ukrainian defense tech cluster Iron.

Some drones are built for reconnaissance. Others serve evacuation, logistics, or direct attack roles. One heavy-lift drone used in nocturnal assaults has been dubbed “Baba Yaga” by Russian soldiers, which Cherniuk equated to “the boogeyman.”

A separate interceptor drone is engineered specifically to track and destroy the Iranian Shahed drones Russia employs in nightly strikes on Ukrainian urban centers.

“They can reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour,” Cherniuk noted. “One hundred grams of payload is sufficient to disable a Shahed.”

“We receive many Americans, Canadians, and Europeans who visit seeking our data and frontline feedback,” Dmytro said.

As Digital reported from Lviv, air raid sirens frequently sounded across the city, underscoring that western Ukraine is still vulnerable to Russia’s intensifying drone offensive.

Russia has significantly increased its air attacks in the past week following the brief ceasefire’s end, unleashing large-scale drone salvos aimed at cities and logistics hubs throughout Ukraine, including regions near NATO territory adjacent to the Polish border.

Ukraine has also shown a growing capacity to hit deep inside Russian territory using long-range drone strikes targeting the Moscow area and Russian energy infrastructure.

However, the escalating drone conflict is also spreading beyond Ukrainian and Russian borders into NATO airspace.

Recently, drones associated with Ukrainian long-range strike missions entered the skies of Baltic NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, causing political repercussions and raising fresh alarms about regional air defense. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned after drones crashed near fuel storage sites close to the Russian border.

Ukrainian and Baltic authorities attributed the incidents to Russian electronic warfare and GPS spoofing diverting the drones, contending that Moscow is increasingly using such tactics not just for defense, but to sow instability and exert political pressure within NATO states.

These events highlight how the same Iranian-designed Shahed drones Russia uses against Ukrainian cities nightly — along with comparable long-range drone tech now used by both sides — is transforming modern warfare well past the confines of the battlefield.