The share of Ukrainian-made weapons in military procurement has reached 82%

Ukraine has demonstrated a major shift in priorities regarding the procurement of defense equipment, contracting for unmanned aerial systems for the first time at a cost exceeding that of conventional ammunition. Because 95% of all drones purchased for the military are domestically produced, the share of Ukrainian manufacturers in total procurement over the past year has surged from 46% to 82%.

 This was announced by Arsen Zhumadilov, head of the Defense Procurement Agency of the State Logistics Operator (DLO).

According to the agency head, funding for unmanned systems will only increase this year and will account for at least two-thirds of the total budget administered by the agency. Zhumadilov did not specify exact figures, but noted that the total budget of the Ministry of Defense’s procurement agency will significantly exceed last year’s 600 billion hryvnias. In just the first five months of this year, the volume of commitments made for drone deliveries has already surpassed the figures for the entire previous year. Commenting on a possible shortage of artillery shells due to the shift in focus toward drones, the official noted that the need for ammunition remains high, however, the final allocation of limited financial resources between the drone and artillery components is the exclusive prerogative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: hromadske.

Prior to this, the Ministry of Defense had codified and approved for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine the domestically produced unmanned aerial system “Volynyaka.”

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine approved the Shablya MK19(M) remotely controlled combat module for use by the troops. It is equipped with a 40-mm MK19 automatic grenade launcher.