How the Ministry of Defence’s new drone procurement approach will work: explanation from Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence will procure drones under a new approach designed to minimise human intervention. From now on, drone needs will be shaped by battlefield statistics, writes Mykhailo Fedorov.

Military units will submit requests according to their needs, while the General Staff will compile a list containing only technical specifications, without the UAV’s name or manufacturer. Which specific products are procured for front-line units, based on their combat tasks, will be determined by a UAV rating derived from battlefield data from digital systems: ePoints, DOT-Chain, Brave1 Market, DELTA, and Mission Control.

• ePoints statistics will show the effectiveness of assets on the battlefield;
• DOT-Chain and Brave1 Market data – what demand exists among military units;
• DELTA and Mission Control data will show the synchronisation matrix and combat-use analytics.

Based on this rating, the Defence Procurement Agency will contract drones. “If a drone does not fly or does not hit targets, the system will simply not generate a requirement for it,” Fedorov explains.

The drone procurement budget allocation will also change. 80% of it will go toward solutions that have demonstrated effectiveness based on system data. The remaining 20% will be directed towards procuring new developments for testing in combat conditions.

This month, the Ministry of Defence has already simplified the weapons codification process to accelerate procurement. Codification no longer requires confirmation of an “urgent need” and can now be completed independently of current procurement plans.