Ukraine's Brave1 launches custom drone ordering for military units
Ukraine's Brave1 defense cluster now lets military units order drones built to their own specifications, with $1 billion in orders placed already.
The system operates through the existing Brave1 Market platform. Military units placed roughly $1 billion worth of orders for defense technologies through the platform during its first year. The digital marketplace currently has over 1,000 defense innovations spanning unmanned aerial vehicles, ground robotic systems, electronic warfare and signals intelligence equipment, specialized components, AI-powered solutions, software applications, and ammunition.
Custom ordering, however, is currently limited to a small slice of that catalog. Only three drone categories qualify: standard FPV strike drones, fiber-optic FPV variants, and fixed-wing interceptors. Seventeen separate specifications are open to adjustment, ranging from communication equipment and cameras to payload capacity and flight time.
Submitted requests are routed automatically to a pool of suppliers, each of whom can choose to bid or opt out entirely. "All stages of interaction and decision-making are automatically recorded in the system," said Brave1. If a military unit decides not to proceed with a purchase, it must provide a clearly justified reason.
When multiple suppliers submit matching technical proposals, the system triggers a competitive bidding process, and the cheapest offer secures the deal. Once bidding wraps up, the requesting unit finalizes an agreement directly with the chosen manufacturer, bypassing extra bureaucratic steps. Suppliers who decline a specific request face no penalty under the current system, according to the company's statement.
Brave1 plans to expand the range of eligible systems considerably in the coming months, including the eventual addition of unmanned ground vehicles. For now, the feature applies only to purchases financed with military units' own funds, excluding the state eBaly procurement system. Units can even request equipment that hasn't received official classification yet, something the standard state procurement process typically does not allow.
TechRadar noted that other governments observing Ukraine's wartime innovations may eventually consider similar digital procurement models for their own defense industries.