Drone contracts totaling more than UAH 333 billion signed for the military in the first half of the year
At the request of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Defence Procurement Agency DOT signed contracts worth UAH 333.6 billion for drones in the first half of 2026.
This is twice the amount contracted during the same period last year.
FPV drones account for the largest share of contracted drones.
Procurement was carried out using various tools, including the government-operated DOT-Chain Defence weapons marketplace. Through the platform, combat units independently select the equipment they need using allocated budget funds.
The Agency handles the organizational aspects, from signing contracts to processing payments and overseeing logistics. As a result, the average delivery time for in-stock items ordered through the marketplace is nine days.
Supplying the military with drones is an important part of implementing Ukraine's defense strategy. Drones help stop the enemy by striking enemy targets, conducting reconnaissance and mining operations, and delivering essential supplies to Ukrainian service members in the most dangerous areas of the frontline.
For this reason, supplying the Defence Forces with drones remains a priority for the Ministry of Defence.
A new approach to procuring UAVs
In March, the Ministry of Defence introduced a new approach to defense procurement of drones. Drone requirements are now determined by reliable battlefield data, minimizing human involvement and subjective influence and reducing corruption risks. This approach is used for the direct procurement of unmanned systems.
The procurement algorithm is as follows:
- Combat data from digital systems — ePoints, DOT-Chain, Brave1 Market, DELTA, and Mission Control — is used to compile a ranking of unmanned systems.
- Based on this ranking and requests from units, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine compiles a list of systems for procurement, specifying their quantities and types.
- The Agency then contracts the unmanned systems included in the list.
This enables the state to procure only drones that perform effectively, strike targets successfully, and have proven themselves on the battlefield.
For certain unmanned systems, the Agency also conducts closed competitive tenders based on technical and tactical specifications provided by the General Staff. This allows the broadest possible range of suppliers to participate. This approach has already proven effective in another procurement category: the competitive procurement of extended-range 155 mm ammunition resulted in savings of more than 16%.
In addition, the Ministry of Defence, together with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Defence Procurement Agency DOT, introduced a mechanism to adjust the value of contracts for fiber-optic-controlled drones.
This ensured uninterrupted contracting and supply of these types of systems during a period of rapidly rising global optical fiber prices.
‘Basic Level’: how drone supply to military units is being improved
Earlier, the Ministry of Defence announced the launch of the first phase of the ‘Basic Level’ project. The project provides a minimum guaranteed monthly supply of drones for military units.
Initially, the project will pilot the guaranteed supply of the most in-demand drones:
- FPV drones (radio-controlled and fiber-optic);
- Mavic drones;
- bomber drones;
- fixed-wing reconnaissance drones;
- light middle-strike drones.
During the first phase, the pilot project will include military units that directly hold defensive sectors and are actively engaged in combat operations.
