As of 2026, the procurement system for unmanned systems in Ukraine differs significantly from the one that existed just a few years ago. Instead of dozens of disparate mechanisms, a unified digital ecosystem is gradually taking shape, in which the military, manufacturers, government agencies, and logistics operators interact.
The Ukrainian Drone Market Is Maturing
In recent years, Ukraine has become one of the world’s hubs for the development of unmanned technologies. Hundreds of companies are engaged in the development, production, or integration of unmanned systems, and the number of drone models continues to grow.
However, scaling up production is impossible without a clear procurement system.
If a manufacturer does not understand how the government ecosystem works, it is much more difficult for them to plan production, invest in manufacturing capacity, and forecast demand.
That is why today it is important to understand not only the technical aspects of building drones, but also how the tools through which the government supports Ukrainian manufacturers and procures products for the Armed Forces work.
The most important elements of this system are:
Brave1 - a defense technology development cluster;
Brave1 Market - a digital marketplace for defense solutions;
e-Points - a mechanism for financing the procurement of specific product categories;
DOT-Chain Defense - a digital system for contracting and fulfilling government orders.
Although these tools serve different functions, together they form a unified ecosystem that streamlines the path from Ukrainian manufacturers to end customers.
What Is Brave1
When people talk about Brave1, they often refer to it as a platform or a grant program. In reality, it is much more than that.
Brave1 is a state-run defense technology development cluster created to support Ukrainian companies working in the defense tech sector.
Its mission is to help promising projects progress from concept to practical application.
For manufacturers, this means the opportunity to receive:
- expert guidance;
- consulting on product development;
- access to testing;
- collaboration with the military;
- grant support for specific projects;
- assistance in entering the government market.
At the same time, it’s important to understand that Brave1 does not purchase drones directly.
Its main goal is to create conditions under which promising Ukrainian solutions reach military units and government customers more quickly.
For startups, this often serves as their first point of entry into the defense ecosystem.
What Role Does Brave1 Play for Manufacturers?
For a company looking to scale up production, participating in Brave1 means more than just the opportunity to secure funding.
Other benefits are far more important.
First, the manufacturer begins operating within a professional ecosystem.
Second, it gains access to experts who help tailor the product to users’ real needs.
Third, they gain the ability to move more quickly from a prototype to mass production.
Mass production is currently one of the main challenges facing the Ukrainian defense industry.
Creating a single high-quality prototype is much easier than consistently manufacturing hundreds or thousands of identical products with predictable quality.
It is at this stage that many companies switch to a contract manufacturing model or seek a manufacturing partner.
From Innovation to Procurement
Many people mistakenly believe that once a successful product is created, the government automatically begins to procure it.
In reality, the process is much more complex.
In simple terms, it looks like this:
- a company creates a product;
- it goes through the necessary testing and development stages;
- it gets the opportunity to present the solution to potential customers;
- the product is listed in digital catalogs;
- the military can select it for procurement;
- a contract is signed;
- the manufacturer fulfills the order.
That is precisely why it is not enough today to simply create a good drone.
It is equally important to ensure the ability to consistently manufacture it in large volumes.
Brave1 Market - a digital catalog of Ukrainian defense solutions
While Brave1 helps foster innovation, Brave1 Market is responsible for making those innovations accessible to potential customers.
In essence, it is a specialized digital marketplace for defense technologies.
It is important to understand that it is not an online store in the traditional sense.
Its mission is to make Ukrainian defense solutions accessible to the units authorized to make purchases.
Through Brave1 Market, military personnel can:
- browse available products;
- compare solutions;
- find the right manufacturers;
- place orders using digital tools.
For manufacturers, this means a much simpler path to potential customers.
Instead of dozens of separate communications, a single digital point of interaction is established.
Why Brave1 Market Is Important Right Now
In the past, manufacturers relied heavily on personal connections or individual government procurement contracts.
Today, the situation is gradually changing.
The more processes move to a digital format, the more important the following factors become:
- transparency of product information;
- the manufacturer’s ability to fulfill large orders;
- stability of production processes;
- quality control;
- the ability to scale production.
For manufacturers, this means a shift in competitive advantage.
While a few years ago it was enough to propose an interesting engineering idea, today the winning company is increasingly one capable of mass-producing products of consistent quality and fulfilling contractual obligations on time.
What are e-Points?
One of the most notable changes in recent years has been the introduction of the e-Points mechanism.
It is often mistakenly perceived as a separate funding program.
In reality, e-Points are a component of the digital procurement model that allows military units to use their accumulated resources to order specific categories of products through Brave1 Market.
For manufacturers, this means a more predictable mechanism for generating demand.
Whereas previously procurement was conducted primarily through individual procedures or direct agreements, part of the process is now shifting to a digital ecosystem, where product selection and order placement become faster and more transparent.
At the same time, this is not enough for a company. Entering the digital ecosystem is only the first step. Next, the company must fulfill the contract, ensure product quality, meet production deadlines, and organize uninterrupted deliveries. That is why production readiness is becoming just as important as the technology itself.
In the next section, we’ll explore how DOT-Chain Defence works, what the full procurement process looks like - from product selection to delivery - and what this means for companies planning to scale up the production of unmanned systems.
