A market for ammunition has appeared in Ukraine, and the state contracts and buys "millions" of them, in particular for drones. Now they have already started issuing grants for the production of missiles, next year they will be issued for gunpowder factories.
This was reported by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov at the Defense Tech Valley summit, which took place in Kyiv on October 3-4, reports the correspondent of Suspilne.
According to him, regulations for the production of gunpowder and other explosive substances in Ukraine were also removed.
"For example, this year the amount of investments of the Brave1 cluster increased. I will tell you a secret — this year we started issuing grants for the production of missiles. In the coming year, we will issue grants for powder factories. These are non-returnable grants that we give as a certain guarantee that you invest, and these investments will pay off," Fedorov said.
According to the minister, simulators are being created in Ukraine to test defense technologies and infrastructure for this.
"We created certain units. In the NATO doctrines, they are called ʼinnovation incubatorsʼ that test technologies on the battlefield. We created our own unit. In fact, there is not one of them today, but a large number. Before buying something, we test it on our own units and see how this or that drone works in real conditions, how the EW works," he explained.
Mykhailo Fedorov said that over the past two years, more than 200 companies that develop robotic ground platforms, 500 companies that manufacture drones, and more than 100 that develop means of electronic warfare (EW) have been created in Ukraine.
“A small startup doesnʼt need to become a large corporation to make a difference on the battlefield. Investors donʼt have to wait years for a startup to become a successful corporation. It can be three months, six months, a year, but everything can be quite fast," concluded the head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
- In April 2023, the government launched BRAVE1, a single coordination platform for arms manufacturers. It aims to help Ukrainian arms manufacturers to go from idea to supply and contracts more quickly.
- On July 30, 2024, Mykhailo Fedorov said that the Brave1 defense cluster already has more than two thousand developments, and companies in this direction have received grants for almost $5 million.
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