Ukrainian Defense Ministry speeds up supply of new weapons to Armed Forces

That's according to the ministry's website, Ukrinform reports.

The acceleration was made possible thanks to the amendments to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 345 of February 25, 2015, which were introduced at a government meeting on November 21 of this year at the defense minister's initiative.

It is expected that the process of supplying new samples of weapons and military equipment to the Ukrainian army will be reduced to 20 days. The term may vary depending on the quality and completeness of the materials provided by the manufacturer.

The ministry recalled that earlier, in order for weapons or equipment to get to the Armed Forces, manufacturers had to go through a six-stage procedure that could take several months.

From now on, one of the longest bureaucratic hurdles has been removed from the mentioned procedure - the issuance of an order on admission to operation, the approval of which with various agencies of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff usually took about a month.

The updated fast track for the supply of weapons also provides for a reduction in terms at other stages. In particular, according to the changes made, the testing of new weapons and their combat characteristics will take place directly on the battlefield.

"In the case of successful results, no additional tests are needed (as was the case, for example, with the Bohdana wheeled self-propelled howitzer, which has proven itself excellently during combat missions)," the ministry said.

Another important change concerns the procurement of the most desirable classes of drones ("micro" and "mini" drones), civilian or dual-purpose, which can be converted for combat missions.

From now on, the state customer can purchase such unmanned aerial vehicles even if they were not approved for operation and were not codified as an item of supply.