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Ukrainian reconnaissance drones are seen during test flights prior to being sent to the front line in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 2, 2022, amid Russia's war against Ukraine. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
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Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency is launching a new supply model for delivering drones to the front line within weeks rather than months, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Feb. 20.

Kyiv has ramped up domestic drone production over the past year. Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale with Russia.

According to the new model, military units will be able to choose the unmanned systems best suited to their needs. The system also aims to support manufacturers through advance orders, allowing them to plan for scaling up their production.

The model aims to boost transparency in procurement as it establishes clear supply mechanisms and stimulates competition.

The structure is based on the DOT-Chain, an IT system already used by the State Rear Operator (DOT), an agency dealing with non-lethal procurement for the military.

DOT-Chain is designed to streamline and digitize procurement processes while reducing delivery time.

"Together with manufacturers, we are working to ensure that no soldier waits for weeks or months for what they need," Umerov said after a meeting with representatives of 200 drone manufacturers.

‘We cannot survive’ without foreign weapons, say Ukrainian soldiers fearing looming Trump cuts
A looming dropoff in U.S. weapons deliveries is threatening to strain Ukraine’s budding domestic arms production to the breaking point. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration prepares negotiations with their Russian counterparts, Ukrainians fear being cut out of negotiations — and cut off…

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