Czech Firm Starts Producing Attack, Reconnaissance Drones for Ukraine

The Czech-Ukrainian company UAC commenced production of specialized military drones for the Ukrainian army with plans to manufacture hundreds of reconnaissance and attack drones annually.

According to Czech publication e15, UAC plans to continuously adapting these drones to meet the evolving needs of Ukrainian soldiers. Currently employing a workforce predominantly of Ukrainian nationality, alongside Czech personnel comprising approximately a fifth of the team, operations in Cologne are poised to expand further in response to heightened demand.

Executive Director Pavel Bulant highlighted the company's rapid escalation from trial to full-scale production, describing it as dedicated "war production" exclusively serving the Ukrainian army. The manufacturing process begins with the assembly of electronics, overseen by advanced technological equipment and skilled professionals. This includes the production of optical containers for battlefield monitoring and guidance systems for artillery and guided missiles.

UAC's operations encompass various technologies such as 3D printing, computer-controlled machining, and the production of drone components like fuselages and wings from specialized molds. The company minimizes reliance on subcontractors while procuring essential components such as electric and internal combustion engines.

Production culminates in a spacious facility housing dozens of green plastic shipping containers storing disassembled drones. Assembly into fully operational units is streamlined, whether for the Stork scout drones used in battlefield surveillance or the Mace suicide kamikaze drones designed for high-impact military operations. The Mace drone variants are equipped with diverse payloads, including armor-penetrating charges capable of piercing up to 400 millimeters of armor, fragmentation charges for trench and command post destruction, and thermobaric warheads known for their potent effect on concentrated targets.

Kolín UAC is a branch of the Ukrainian UAC based in Dnipro, which has been developing and producing drones since 2014. "Now, the delivery of unmanned vehicles from the Czech Republic to Ukraine is an absolute priority. In the future, we intend to gain a decisive share of the Central European market in the category of medium-sized drones and to penetrate the armed forces of NATO countries and other states," UAC official Štefan Füle said.