The Ministry of Defence contracted a record number of multirotor drones for the front

At the request of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Defence Procurement Agency DOT contracted a record number of multirotor drones for frontline needs in January and February. This means the military will receive at least twice as many of these drones as in the same period last year.

These include Mavic, Autel, Matrice, and other multirotor drone systems that perform critically important combat tasks daily at the tactical depth. The increase in multicopter procurement directly reflects requests from units of the Defence Forces. They are used for reconnaissance and fire adjustment to a depth of up to 5 km, for striking infantry with drone-dropped munitions, for mining routes, and for improving the accuracy of FPV drones.

During combat operations, military units regularly lose multirotor drones, which is why the military needs them in significant quantities. The Ministry of Defence places special emphasis on the efficient distribution of equipment among combat units to ensure that drones are delivered as quickly as possible to where they are needed most.

In February, deliveries of multicopters increased by 17% compared with January. This was made possible by the rapid tendering and contracting for the required equipment quantities.

At the same time, efforts are underway to develop AI-enabled alternatives to Mavic drones. The Ministry of Defence is already testing solutions that will soon be scaled up for frontline use.

“This year, we are also significantly increasing the procurement of key categories of drones and strike systems: interceptors, FPV and fiber-optic-controlled drones, fixed-wing reconnaissance drones, and strike drones for operational depth. We have already finalized the annual procurement plan to strengthen the Defence Forces,” concluded Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.