In the first half of 2026, the Ukrainian army made a technological and logistical leap in the field of unmanned systems. The Defense Procurement Agency "State Rear Operator" (SRO) contracted drones worth 333.6 billion hryvnias. This figure is twice as high as the procurement volumes for the same period last year.
FPV drones as the backbone of supply
An analysis of the procurement structure shows that the vast majority of deliveries are FPV drones. These devices have become a key element of modern tactics, and their mass production and procurement require uninterrupted logistics chains.
Digitalization and speed: 9 days to the front
The key tool for optimization became the state platform DOT-Chain Defence. This is a marketplace that allows combat units to independently select necessary equipment using budget funds, bypassing unnecessary bureaucratic links.
To date, the platform's catalog features over 1,000 items of unmanned systems from more than 200 manufacturers. The Agency takes full responsibility for the process: from contract signing to payment and logistics control. The result of such optimization is that the average delivery time is just 9 days.
Algorithm instead of subjectivity
In March 2026, the Ministry of Defense implemented a fundamentally new approach to direct procurement. Now, the need for equipment is formed exclusively based on qualitative data from the battlefield. This step aims to minimize the human factor, eliminate subjective influence, and reduce corruption risks.
The rating of unmanned systems is formed automatically, analyzing combat data from several digital systems. Relying on this rating and direct requests from units, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine forms a procurement list, determining the exact quantity and nomenclature. Only after this does the SRO sign contracts. Such an algorithm guarantees that budget funds are spent only on UAVs that have actually proven their effectiveness in combat.
Savings through competition
For some unmanned systems, the agency conducts closed competitive tenders based on General Staff specifications. This allows attracting the maximum number of participants and lowering the final price. Previously, a similar approach in the procurement of 155mm ammunition allowed saving more than 16% of budget funds.
Growth in digital sales
Parallel to state procurements, activity on digital platforms is growing. Since August 2025, drones and components worth more than 35 billion hryvnias have been sold on the Brave1 Market marketplace for eHryvnias. Procurement volumes on this platform are steadily growing and have remained at the level of 5 billion hryvnias monthly since spring.
