On March 2, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted amendments to several resolutions governing the procedure for codifying defense equipment and supplying products to the Defense Forces. For manufacturers of UAVs, EW systems, and ammunition, these changes represent a significant reduction in barriers — both documentary and procedural.
Codification Without Confirming "Urgent Need"
Prior to these changes, a manufacturer could face a situation where codification was blocked by the absence of officially confirmed state demand for a specific product. This requirement has now been abolished: any product can undergo the codification procedure regardless of current state procurement plans.
This opens the possibility for proactive codification — a manufacturer can prepare a product for supply in advance, before receiving a contract order.
Technical Specifications — Manufacturer's Responsibility
A key change in the approach to TS: from now on, Technical Specifications for defense product samples are developed and approved by the manufacturer independently. The state procures in accordance with approved TS but does not participate in their approval.
At the same time, TS must be entered in the Main Fund of Technical Specifications and the corresponding electronic database. Registration remains mandatory.
What this means in practice: manufacturers gain more autonomy in developing TS, but also full responsibility for product compliance with declared characteristics. The quality of TS and the accuracy of TTX become critically important.
UAVs and EW Systems: Procurement Without State Quality Guarantees
For unmanned systems and tactical-level electronic warfare systems, a simplified procurement procedure has been introduced — without applying state quality assurance procedures. Instead, the government contract executor provides their own quality certificate and independently bears responsibility for the declared parameters and safety of the product.
This aligns with an approach long used in NATO countries for rapid introduction of new technologies in crisis conditions.
Ammunition and Explosives: Simplification and Acceleration
A simplified procurement procedure has been introduced for military-purpose explosives — they have been included in the list of goods procured through an expedited procedure during the period of martial law.
An important innovation is the possibility of codifying and approving ammunition for operational use without conducting demonstration trials. This option is available provided that state customer representatives were involved in prior trials and officially approved the program and methods.
| Defense Equipment Category | What Changed |
|---|---|
| All categories | Codification without confirming urgent state need |
| All categories | TS developed and approved independently by the manufacturer |
| UAVs, EW systems | Procurement without state quality assurance procedures; manufacturer's own certificate |
| Ammunition, explosives | Simplified procurement procedure; codification without demonstration trials (subject to conditions) |
Overall Assessment of the Changes
The 2026 reform is an important step toward balancing security requirements (quality confirmation remains mandatory, but now through self-certification) and speed-to-market. Manufacturers ready to take full responsibility for the quality of their products get a significantly shorter path to a contract.
For startups and small manufacturers, this is a chance to enter the defense procurement market faster than ever before. But documentation quality requirements are also rising: TS, trial protocols, and product specifications must be executable without errors.