During the first two weeks of testing the DOT-Chain Defence weapons marketplace, military units in the Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions received the first thousand FPV drones, according to a press release from the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA).
The delivery time for orders was less than two weeks, which is more than 4 times faster than the standard procurement procedure. The fastest order reached the front in 6 days.
As of now, the military has formed 43 applications for almost 7,000 drones (FPV and bombers) with a total cost of about 245 million UAH. In pilot mode, 12 brigades operating in areas with the highest intensity of hostilities have been connected to the system. The first orders were placed on July 31.
The DOT-Chain Defence IT system was developed by the State Logistics Operator (DOT) and is used by the Defense Procurement Agency for the operational and targeted provision of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
For an effective start of DOT-Chain Defence, the AOZ and DOT team conducted online training and on-site consultations in the combat zone. During the visits, the military were helped to place the first orders. According to the director of AOZ Arsen Zhumadilov, such trips are planned to be made regular in order to collect feedback and adapt the system to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The DOT-Chain Defence system works like a marketplace: the military independently chooses the type and number of drones, which are then purchased with the funds of the Defense Ministry. Currently, only FPV drones are available, but in the future it is planned to scale the system to other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and expand the range - in particular, electronic warfare/electronic warfare, anti-ship missiles and additional types of drones.