Reuters has learned about the shortage of drone engines in the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are faced with a shortage of mini-engines for attack drones due to a lack of capacity for their production in Europe and in the country. This was reported on April 7 by the Reuters news agency, citing more than a dozen sources, including experts, officials and representatives of companies.
"Supplies remain limited both globally and, more importantly, within Ukraine," Maria Popova, executive director of the Ukrainian Defense Industry Council, told the agency, confirming the shortage of turbojet engines for drones, as well as materials needed for their production.
Another unnamed source in the Ukrainian defense industry said the shortage of mini-engines has become a "big problem" for Ukraine's entire missile program and is limiting production at a critical time.
While the capabilities of Ukrainian developers to set up domestic production are limited, the capacities of APU suppliers in Poland, Germany and the Netherlands are already working "at the limit of their capabilities" and do not allow them to increase the necessary volumes, the newspaper writes. These few European supplier companies cannot launch expensive production without large government orders, explained Dominic Surano, director of special Projects at Nordic Air Defense.
"There is a huge shortage of mini-jet engines in Europe," said Fabian Hoffmann, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Defense University, adding that the development of this sector also plays a key role in reducing Europe's dependence on the United States.
On March 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters of the BBC television channel about his "very bad feeling" about the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East that could come for his state. According to him, because of this, the supply of weapons to Kiev may decrease.
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