Ukraine is testing a new digital drone procurement system, DOT-Chain Defence. Already 11 domestic companies have signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense through the Defense Procurement Agency, and combat brigades have been able to order drones directly.
Ukraine is testing a new digital drone procurement system, DOT-Chain Defence. Already 11 domestic companies have signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense through the Defense Procurement Agency, and combat brigades have been able to order drones directly.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the project already includes manufacturers such as Escadrone, TAF Drones, Vyriy Drone, as well as a number of smaller companies, including those operating under the General Chereshnya and Grif brands. All of them are integrated into the platform and have passed the state contracting procedure.
The pilot project covers 12 combat brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which can form orders for drones according to current needs, rather than receiving equipment through centralized applications. The military sees available models, can choose a supplier, and place an order themselves through an electronic system.
At the first stage, the Ministry of Defense allocated one billion hryvnias to AOZ for the implementation of the program. Formally, orders on behalf of the units are placed through an electronic system with three KEP signatures, after which AOZ supports the entire process: from signing the agreement to logistics and payment. According to the agency’s director, Arsen Zhumadilov, this allows reducing the delivery time to several weeks.
DOT-Chain Defence is designed to solve the problem of supply mismatch: previously, the military often received the wrong drones that they really needed. Now the initiative allows you to form point demand, and manufacturers to quickly adapt the supply. In case of successful testing, the system will be scaled to all Armed Forces of Ukraine and will be supplemented with other types of drones, not just FPV.
A brief guide on how to use the platform is published on the AOZ website .
We previously wrote about how Ukrainian drone manufacturers who increase the share of localization of production can receive long-term contracts of up to 10 years from the Ministry of Defense.
