The plan was announced by Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Monday, the Reuters news agency reported.
Reznikov wrote on Facebook: "In 2023, we are increasing the procurement of UAVs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We plan to allocate about 20 billion hryvnias (USD 547.05 million) to this segment."
Both Ukraine and Russia have used a wide range of drones for reconnaissance and attack purposes during the war so far, according to Reuters.
Ukraine has received notable supplies of UAVs from partners, including Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 combat drone and the Norwegian-made Black Hornet reconnaissance drone, news outlets reported.
'Army of drones'
However, Kyiv is now seeking to step up domestic production to create its own "army of drones," according to officials.
16 deals signed with domestic producers
Sixteen deals have already been signed with Ukrainian drone-makers, reporters were told.
"The independence of the military-industrial complex is one of the factors of the country's defence capability," Reznikov stated on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
Monday is day 341 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Source: Reuters, The Guardian, The New Voice of Ukraine