LONDON, 20 July. - (ANA) - Ukraine is making a thousand times more drones now than when Russia invaded four years ago—and NATO must learn how, the alliance’s deputy military commander said Thursday. 

 

“In 2022, Ukraine produced 5,000 drones, various. In 2026, they will produce, and I'm afraid I can't give the figure, but let's just say it is going to be well north of 5 million, of all flavors,” Air Chief Marshal Johnny Stringer told attendees at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference “So, for NATO nations, if 32 nations can't kind of meet those figures, then frankly, what do we do?”

 

The U.S. war on Iran has shown how quickly a conflict can consume arsenals of costly, exquisite weapons, Stringer said.

 

“Op Epic Fury has obviously had an impact on munitions as well, so assumptions that we may have had even months, not even a year ago, about what would be available when are now, in a sense, a little bit moot,” he said.

 

“These things cost a fortune,” he added. “You have to have them, but there's a bunch of other things you can get in far greater numbers with a little bit more imagination.”

 

The U.S. military has heavily depleted its critical munition stockpiles during the Iran war. Coalition forces fired over 11,000 munitions in the first 16 days of the conflict, at a cost of about $26 billion, according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute think tank.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/20 July 2026 - - -