Ukraine automates drone purchases to eliminate corruption
Defense Ministry is moving to purchase drones for the Armed Forces based on battlefield data (Photo: REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy)
The Ministry of Defense is introducing a new automated approach to drone procurement, based on data from the battlefield, without human involvement and the risk of corruption, the officials wrote on March 10.
The new approach allows for avoiding inefficient purchases, and the state will buy only those UAVs that have proven their effectiveness in real combat conditions.
According to the order of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will form a list of drones for purchase solely based on technical characteristics, without specifying a particular manufacturer.
Specific models will be determined automatically based on a UAV rating, which is generated from combat employment data from digital systems:
eBaly (ePoints - battlefield effectiveness)
DOT-Chain and Brave1 Market (unit demand)
DELTA and Mission Control (analytics and application synchronization).
"This is the first time that procurement decisions are generated automatically based on real combat data," Fedorov explained.
"If a drone does not fly or does not hit targets, the system simply will not generate a need for it. Only the real combat result matters."
The new budgetary approach stipulates that 80% of funds will be spent on proven, effective solutions, while 20% remains for innovative developments for testing in combat conditions. This will allow for rapid testing of new technologies, strengthening the Defense Forces, and effectively deterring Russian attacks, Defense Ministry added.
On March 10, Accounting Chamber reported that more than half of state contracts for the purchase of unmanned systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine were concluded in violation of procurement legislation.
The audit revealed shortcomings and discrepancies amounting to over 77 billion UAH ($1.7B), including inflated costs, delivery delays, and problems with contract execution control.
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