The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is launching a system for managing the technological development of the army. The ministry is forming six specialized centers: two are already operating, and four more are in the process of being created.
They will be responsible for specialized Defense Tech areas: from drones and electronic warfare to space technologies and Deep Strike.
The new system should help introduce technologies needed by the front line into the troops more quickly. The centers will analyze the effectiveness of weapons, cooperate with developers, and support the implementation of new solutions.
What centers is the Ministry of Defense creating?
In total, the system will consist of six specialized structures. Two of them have already been formed.
The first is the Directorate for the Development of Unmanned Systems Capabilities. It will analyze the experience of using drones at the front, prepare proposals for their development, and support relevant projects. This should help improve drones faster in line with changes on the battlefield.
The second is the Directorate for the Development of Missile and Artillery Capabilities. It will handle the development of missile and artillery weapons, target detection means, and automated control systems. Among its priorities are supporting Ukrainian production and introducing new types of weapons.
The next stage will be the creation of four more centers:
- Air Defense Development Center. It will plan the development of air defense systems, analyze their effectiveness, and evaluate new technologies.
- Center for the Development of Electronic Warfare and Countermeasures, Navigation Systems and Remote Control Technologies. It will test new developments, evaluate their effectiveness and cooperate with manufacturers.
- Center for Space Policy and Technology. It will work on the use of space technologies for defense, in particular satellite communications and Earth remote sensing data. It will also develop standards and help attract resources for relevant projects.
- Deep Strike Systems Development Center. It will analyze the effectiveness of long-range weapons, support the development and testing of new systems, and work on scaling promising technologies.
According to the Ministry of Defense's plan, the centers should become a link between the needs of the military and the implementation of new technologies.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military management bodies will determine what weapons units need, based on combat experience. Instead, the Ministry of Defense centers will prepare technological solutions in accordance with these needs, evaluate developments, work with manufacturers, and help provide projects with the necessary resources.
"Our task is to provide the military with weapons and technologies that deliver real results and an advantage on the battlefield — timely and in sufficient quantities," said Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara.
In this way, the Ministry of Defense wants to shorten the path from identifying a need at the front to the deployment of the corresponding weaponry.
Recall that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported in principle draft law No. 13255, which is intended to create the Space Forces of Ukraine as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the parliament's press service, 252 people's deputies voted for the corresponding decision on November 9.
The drafting of the bill was influenced, in particular, by the Russian strike on Ukraine with the intermediate-range ballistic missile "Oreshnik," according to the explanatory note to the bill.