Ukraine's drone procurement up 300% in 2026, Defence Ministry says
Ukraine's Defence Procurement Agency contracted 300% more drones of various types in 2026 than in the full previous year, the Defence Ministry reported. FPV drone contracting in 2026 has already exceeded the entire 2025 figure by 54%, with deliveries up nearly 3.7-fold. Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara attributed the surge to international partner support and the scaling of Ukrainian defence-industry capacity, and outlined a tiered approach to drone supply covering tactical, operational and strategic levels.
Key points
- Defence Procurement Agency contracted 300% more drones of various types in 2026 than in all of 2025.
- Drone contracting rose 5.5-fold over recent months versus the same period in 2025.
- FPV-drone contracting in 2026 already exceeds the full-year 2025 figure by 54%; deliveries grew nearly 3.7-fold.
- Ministry attributes the increase to international partner support and expansion of Ukrainian defence-industrial capacity.
- Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara says the Ministry is synchronising frontline needs, procurement planning, and industry output to make supply predictable.
- Officials describe a tiered drone concept covering tactical, operational and strategic levels, including deep-strike assets for strikes deep inside Russia and middle-strike drones for enemy drone crews, logistics and command posts.
What happened
Ukraine's Defence Procurement Agency (DOT) contracted 300% more drones of various types in 2026 than in the entire previous year, the Ministry of Defence reported. Over recent months, drone contracting across various types rose 5.5-fold compared with the same period in 2025. FPV-drone contracting in 2026 has already exceeded the full-year 2025 figure by 54%, and FPV-drone deliveries grew nearly 3.7-fold year-on-year. The Ministry attributed the increase to support from international partners and the expansion of Ukrainian defence-industrial capacity. Defence Minister Yevheniy Khmara said the Ministry is synchronising frontline needs, procurement planning and industry output to make supply more predictable. He described a tiered drone concept covering tactical, operational and strategic levels, including deep-strike assets for strikes deep inside Russia and middle-strike drones for destroying enemy drone crews, logistics and command posts.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets centred the Ministry of Defence's own announcement and framed the procurement surge as a domestically driven success enabled by international support and a growing Ukrainian defence industry. Coverage highlighted Defence Minister Khmara's statements on aligning frontline needs, procurement and production to make supply predictable, and quoted officials describing a tiered drone doctrine covering tactical, operational and strategic levels, including deep- and middle-strike roles.