Ukraine has granted its first wartime licenses allowing domestic producers to pursue arms exports abroad, marking a policy shift designed to attract investment and expand weapons manufacturing capacity as the country’s defense industry continues to grow.
According to Reuters, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the country’s defense-industrial base now has an annual production capacity exceeding $55 billion. While specific companies were not disclosed, a source familiar with the matter said dozens of export applications had been approved.
Officials said sectors such as unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance technologies are already producing more than domestic procurement levels, prompting the government to pursue coordinated exports aimed at scaling production and accelerating technological deployment for Ukrainian forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said increased investment is essential to sustain drone production, noting that Ukrainian-developed systems are already being manufactured through joint initiatives in the United Kingdom and that the first Ukraine-designed drone built in Germany is expected soon.
The export approvals coincide with the resumption of meetings by an interdepartmental government commission overseeing arms sales, which convened for the first time in eight months as Kyiv moves to formalize oversight of a rapidly expanding sector.
Ukrainian officials say the defense industry now includes more than 1,000 companies that have scaled up operations since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with roughly 450 firms focused on drone production.
Kyiv is also exploring a broader export strategy, including plans to establish 10 export centers across Europe by 2026 to market weapons refined under battlefield conditions and reinvest revenues into domestic research and production.
Germany is reportedly considering federal investment guarantees and deeper industrial cooperation, including joint ventures and procurement partnerships, to support Ukraine’s long-term defense manufacturing ambitions.
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