Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has signed new contracts for the purchase of 4,200 DJI Mavic 3E UAVs with additional equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Ministry of Defence signed contracts for UAVs worth more than UAH 1 billion (about £20m)
‘The Defence Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defence has signed new contracts for the purchase of 4,200 DJI Mavic 3E UAVs with additional equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Together with previous purchases, the total number of DJI Mavic drones contracted by the BpAK Agency is already 8,200 sets (7,200 DJI Mavic 3E and 1,000 DJI Mavic 3T).
This was reported by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
The total amount of concluded contracts is UAH 1.1 billion (about £20m).
In modern warfare, drones have become an indispensable element of combat. They strengthen our defence capabilities by increasing the efficiency of military operations. Therefore, the procurement of drones is one of the main tasks of the Ministry of Defence. Our military must be provided with everything they need in time to be able to respond to any threats from the enemy.
Dmytro Klimenkov
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine
According to the results of auctions on Prozorro, the average price for one BpAK was:
DJI Mavic 3E with three additional batteries and a charger — UAH 126.3 thousand (about £2,500);
DJI Mavic 3T with three additional batteries and a charger — UAH 194,200 (about £3,800).
Only on these purchases we managed to save more than UAH 65 million (about £1.2m) from the expected cost. And this is under the condition that we work on the principle of post-payment in order to ensure delivery as much as possible. For us, this is an opportunity to purchase even more drones for the military, which are of critical importance at the front,” noted the director of the Defence Procurement Agency, Maryna Bezrukova.
In addition, as of May 20, successful auctions by the Defence Procurement Agency for an additional 4,000 DJI Mavic 3E and 1,500 DJI Mavic 3T BPA have already been held, where contracts are expected to be signed.
What is known about the history of the development and testing of the "Lyuty" long-range UAV
Currently, one of the most successful developments of Ukraine — the long-range UAV "Lyuty" accounts for about 80% of all hits on Russian refineries.
The first developments of "Lyuty" had problems with the front landing gear and compass calibration.
During the launches, the operators had to accompany the UAVs on cars, exposing themselves to real danger.
Therefore, the operator had to constantly push those first boards so that they went evenly along the runway. And this means that you have to drive a car at a speed of up to 150 km/h behind this 50-kilogram bomb so that the operator can see it and be able to level it on the lane. It is clear that no one wanted to launch it like that, — one of the developers told the journalists of the publication.
According to him, there was no such problem on the day, since the BpLa itself is very large — more than 4 meters, wingspan — almost 7 meters.
However, he had to be accompanied at night.
Guaranteed damage by shrapnel from "Lyuty" is about 400-500 meters. That's why we didn't even put on bulletproof vests, they wouldn't have saved us,” notes one of the participants of the first launches.
