Ukraine is launching its first open competitive tender for the large-scale procurement of middle strike attack UAVs and reconnaissance-strike systems.

This was announced by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov.

According to him, over the past several months Ukraine has significantly expanded its middle strike drone capabilities and launched a “logistical lockdown” of the Russian military.

Mykhailo Fedorov noted that thanks to increased contracting of these drones, Ukrainian forces are systematically destroying Russian logistics, ammunition depots, command posts, military equipment, and other critical targets.

Over the past six months, the number of strikes conducted at the operational depth of the front has increased almost tenfold.

According to the Minister of Defense, this has made it possible to launch a campaign to isolate Crimea and further strengthen Ukraine’s advantage on the battlefield. The next step will be the first open competitive tender for the procurement of middle strike attack UAVs and reconnaissance-strike systems.

Mykhailo Fedorov emphasized that this is the first UAV procurement of such scale to be conducted through an open competitive procedure.

Ukrainian manufacturers whose products meet the specified technical requirements will be eligible to participate.

A key feature of the tender is that drones will be procured based on tactical and technical specifications rather than specific product names.

According to the Minister of Defense, this approach is expected to create genuine competition, attract more participants, select the most effective solutions for Ukraine’s Defense Forces, and ensure the best value for the state.

The procurement process will be conducted in a closed environment to guarantee the security of participants and protect sensitive information.

Mykhailo Fedorov added that this approach has already proven effective during the competitive procurement of long-range 155 mm ammunition, where savings of more than 16% were achieved.

The Ministry of Defense also plans to transition the procurement of other categories of unmanned systems — including deep strike, FPV, and other types of drones — to competitive tender procedures as early as this summer.

According to Mykhailo Fedorov, under the President’s directive, Ukraine continues to build a defense procurement system based on transparent rules, fair competition, and minimal manual intervention.