The state enterprise “Defense Procurement Agency” of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which is responsible for the procurement of weapons and military equipment for the Defense Forces, concluded contracts with three companies producing interceptor drones. About this stated head of the agency Arsen Zhumadilov.
“The market of interceptors, i.e. drones that intercept Shahed-type strike drones, is quite new. The product I’m talking about either didn’t exist a year ago, or it was in prototypes. Today, we contracted 3 companies that produce such interceptors. There is a Ukrainian company, and there is an American company.”, he noted.
The head of the AOZ noted that the currently available interceptors are not enough to completely cover the needs for the destruction of enemy drones.
“Primarily because the interceptor technology was actually tested to make sure it was effective not too long ago. Accordingly, this manufacturer is currently ramping up their production to meet our need.”, – explained the director of AOZ.
The Defense Procurement Agency of Ukraine is implementing a new digital system that will allow the military to directly place orders for the drones they need through a secure online platform. This approach should significantly reduce the time between placing an order and its actual delivery.
Currently, Ukrainian manufacturers have the potential to produce up to 10 million FPV drones per year, but due to limited funding, the state expects to purchase only 4-4.5 million units in 2025. Additional financial support is necessary to fully cover the needs of the Defense Forces. In the future, the Defense Procurement Agency intends to expand the use of the digital platform to other types of military equipment and equipment in order to effectively respond to the requests of front-line units.
