Ukrainian government updates rules for drone and electronic warfare procurement

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved amendments to the procedure for procuring domestically produced drones and tactical-level electronic warfare systems and their components, as the Permanent Representative of the Government to the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk has announced.

Under the updated rules, the essential terms of state contracts for the production and supply of such systems may be amended after the contract is signed but before it is fully executed, provided the state customer initiates changes to technical, technological or engineering solutions aimed at improving results.

In such cases, a one-time increase in the contract price is permitted, but it may not exceed 20% of the original contract value. The contractor’s profit must remain within the limit set by the procedure — no more than 25% of the production cost of goods, works or services.

The government resolution and the full text of the amended procurement procedure have not yet been published.

It is also worth noting that Ukrainian UAV manufacturer Skyeton and the British defence and security company Prevail Partners have established a joint venture to produce unmanned aerial systems. The Raybird UAV will be manufactured in the United Kingdom, with plans to supply and integrate the system into the UK military and other NATO forces.