Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov (Photo: Reuters).
According to Mr. Fedorov, these programs will be a comprehensive framework in terms of technology and business aspects, focusing on scalability and more details will be announced in the coming time.
Mr. Fedorov's announcement came after the UAV Army project that Ukraine has been developing in recent times. This program has helped the Ukrainian army buy, maintain, and deploy thousands of UAVs to the front line, causing significant losses for Russia.
New programs are expected to follow the same model as the UAV Army project.
Fedorov also mentioned Brave1, a Ukrainian project that coordinates and funds defense technology companies. He encouraged companies to submit their proposals, noting that the project will award more than $2 million in grants by the end of the year.
Ukraine is one of the tech and startup hubs in Eastern Europe. According to a report, the tech sector will contribute $7.35 billion, nearly 4.5% of GDP, to the Ukrainian economy by 2022.
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, previously stated that Ukraine and Russia are at a "stalemate" unless either side can achieve a technological breakthrough.
Ukraine's increased defense production is part of the country's efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign aid and help strengthen its military's combat capabilities amid Russia's recent surge in weapons production.
According to artificial intelligence (AI) researchers and observers, the Russia-Ukraine war could be the premise for the launch of fully autonomous combat robots on the battlefield.
If this happens, it will mark a new era in modern warfare, comparable to the time when the machine gun appeared and led to the redefinition of fighting methods.
The development of unmanned technology in recent times has led experts to believe that the longer the war lasts, the greater the possibility of autonomous devices appearing. They will identify, lock on and attack targets without human support.
Mr Fedorov previously agreed that fully autonomous attack drones were “the logical and inevitable next step” in weapons development, saying Ukraine was already carrying out “a lot of research and development in this direction”.
In theory, AI on drones could recognize targets on the battlefield. But the biggest concern for policymakers is whether the technology can be trusted enough to ensure that the weapons don’t accidentally hit non-combatants, such as civilians.
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