El proyecto, denominado DRONE LINE, fue anunciado por el Ministerio de Defensa de Ucrania el 09feb25. Seg\u00fan declaraciones del Ministro de Defensa , Rustem Umerov, tiene dos objetivos principales: construir una capacidad continua de reconocimiento con drones a lo largo de la l\u00ednea de defensa y reforzar el apoyo y la coordinaci\u00f3n con las unidades de infanter\u00eda, para crear una especie de franja de protecci\u00f3n donde ninguna tropa enemiga pueda moverse sin ser detectada.<\/p>\n
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Ukraine has set out the goal of establishing a 15 kilometer unmanned \u201ckill zone\u201d along the front lines, which would see the most advanced Ukrainian drone units deploy a mix of surveillance and strike drones against Russian troops, according to government and defense-industry officials.<\/p>\n
The project, dubbed the Drone Line, was announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Feb 9. According to statements made by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, it has two core objectives: building a continuous drone reconnaissance capability along the line of defense, and boosting support for and coordination with infantry units to create a kind buffer strip where no troops can move undetected.<\/p>\n
Kyiv\u2019s call for an unmanned buffer zone came before U.S. proclamations saying Ukraine and Europe would largely be bystanders in negotiations between Washington and Moscow aimed at ending the war. High-ranking delegations were set to meet in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, though an actual ceasefire could take months to hammer out.<\/p>\n
Mykyta Rozhkov, chief managing officer at the Ukrainian robotics engineering company Frontline, explains that the envisioned zone\u2019s technical specifications are in line with Kyiv\u2019s capability plans for unmanned systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt reflects current technological capabilities and strategic considerations \u2014 this range allows for effective recon and engagement of enemy forces before they can pose a direct threat to Ukrainian positions,\u201d Rozhkov told Defense News ahead of the IDEX defense expo here.<\/p>\n
Given the rate at which local manufacturers are able to field drones, there is potential to expand the range to up to 40 kilometers, he added.<\/p>\n
Several Ukrainian companies are currently able to produce as many as 2,500 heavy drones per month and 4,000 small drones per day, according to a statement published on social media by Valerii Iakovenko, the founder of DroneUA, a group encompassing a range of Ukrainian companies specializing in drone technology.<\/p>\n
Representatives of the DroneUA ground robotics division were present at IDEX, where a key focus of the Ukrainian pavilion was showcasing the full spectrum of unmanned capabilities.<\/p>\n
Among them is the Chaklun family of drones, for example, manufactured by the Ukrainian company RC Direction and shown for the first time in the Middle East market. The fixed-wing aircraft have been in use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for several months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Chaklun-K and Interceptor drones are functioning air defense systems designed to counter enemy reconnaissance and strike drone types \u2013 their main advantage is they can stay in the air for more than two hours in monitoring mode, which is much longer than conventional FPVs,\u201d Ivan Sybyriakov, senior manager of the Unmanned Systems Center at SPETS Techno Export told Defense News.<\/p>\n