WSJ: drone production in Ukraine depends on Chinese components
Production of drones in Ukraine largely depends on the availability of commercially available Chinese components, the Wall Street Journal newspaper says.
The newspaper recalls that in the early days of the conflict with Russia, Ukraine adapted commercially available Chinese Mugin-5 drones. It is noted that gradually these and other drones began to be replaced by Ukrainian drones.
“However, their production (of drones in Ukraine – ed.) depends heavily on commercially available Chinese components”, the newspaper states.
One of the manufacturers of long-range drones told the Wall Street Journal that the costs for their production range from $30,000 to $300,000. According to the publication, the amount at the upper end of the price range is still far less than the cost of cruise missiles provided by the West. “Cheaper and more affordable than cruise missiles, drones … allow Kiev to circumvent political restrictions on using weapons supplied by Western allies to attack Russian territory,” the Wall Street Journal states.
According to the Journal, to meet this demand, startup manufacturers have sprung up in Ukraine, offering products ranging from the UJ-25 Skyline kamikaze strike jet drone to an unnamed UAV model with a fuselage “made from a section of water pipe.” An unnamed Ukrainian military intelligence officer involved in the launch of the long-range drones told the publication that only about 20 per cent of the drones reach their targets, largely “due to Russian interference”.
