According to a report in The Kyiv Post, Ukraine is producing between 500 and 800 C-UAS intercept drones a day as a key element in the country’s new layered counter drone defence networks, supported by a new procurement strategy.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky was quoted in the report as saying: “The enemy is taking advantage of weather conditions, modernizing its strike drones and changing tactics, including attacks at ultra-low altitudes…. Accordingly, we are modernizing our countermeasures and adapting the system to achieve the necessary results. Our key task at this stage is to strengthen the UAV interceptor direction – to increase the number of relevant drones, ground stations and radars, and to expand both the volume and quality of crew training,” he said.
Previously, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would be producing of 500 to 800 interceptors per day by November.
At the heart of this increased procurement drive is “Army of Drones Bonus” incentive programme. Under this scheme, service members earn points for destroying and damaging enemy targets and exchange them for the drones and equipment they need to accomplish combat missions. The supply process is managed by the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) through the DOT-Chain Defence digital system. Within it, contracts with manufacturers are concluded, and the direct delivery of drones and other equipment to military units is coordinated.
According to a Ukraine defence ministry statement: “In the autumn, the DPA added tactical-level interceptor drones to the weapons marketplace, which help counter enemy reconnaissance and strike UAVs on the frontline. Overall, as part of supplying the military through its IT system, the DPA has signed contracts with six manufacturers of this type of UAV. As of the end of December, the military had received nearly 5,000 interceptor drones through DOT-Chain Defence.”
“We are changing the logic of the supply process, focusing not only on delivering equipment to the military but also on their feedback and expertise,” said Arsen Zhumadilov, Director of the DPA, quoted by the defence ministry. “ The DPA team conducted surveys among service members to identify the interceptor drone models they use and consider most effective. We therefore prioritize contracting with the manufacturers of these systems,”.
For more information
https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/anti-shahed-drones-to-be-supplied-to-the-military-through-dot-chain-defence
(Image: The Stalker intercept drone fromUkraine’s TechEx, photographed earlier this year at DroneX in London)
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