“In September, the Defence Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine held tenders and signed agreements for the purchase of 1,300 DJI Mavic drones of various modifications for a total of UAH 162.69 million. Information about these agreements was published in the public procurement system Prozorro, reports Komersant ukrainskyi
with reference to Nashi Hroshi.
In particular, 500 drones with thermal imaging cameras of the Mavic 3T (Thermal) model were contracted for a price of UAH 139,670 to 140,590 per unit. The cost of these drones was a record low for such procurement through the ProZorro system. Prior to that, the lowest price was recorded in August, when military unit A 4638 purchased night drones for UAH 142,887.
In addition, the Defence Procurement Agency signed five separate contracts for the supply of 800 DJI Mavic 3E drones. The total value of these agreements was UAH 11.5 million, UAH 23.2 million, UAH 35 million, UAH 11.46 million and UAH 11.6 million. The cost of one Mavic 3E drone ranged from UAH 114,646 to UAH 116,666. These drones were purchased with three additional batteries and a separate charger, which increased the cost of the standard package by about UAH 25 thousand. For comparison, in April of this year, similar drones in a similar configuration were purchased at an average price of about UAH 127,000.
Thus, the Defence Procurement Agency was able to significantly reduce the cost of purchasing both thermal imaging and daytime drones compared to previous agreements, which allows for more efficient use of budget funds for defence needs.
As written by , Ukraine is gaining an advantage over Russia in the drone war, not least thanks to domestic developments. One of these most promising developments is the Palianytsia drone missile.
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“Mavic”
The DJI Mavic is a series of compact quadcopters for aerial photography and video filming manufactured by the Chinese company DJI. The first model, the Mavic Pro, was released in September 2016. It had the ability to shoot 4K video, a flight range of 6.9 km and a flight time of 27 minutes. Later models, such as the Mavic Air 2 and Mavic 3, improved the performance, including increasing the flight time to 34 and 46 minutes, respectively. The series includes both consumer models and versions for professional and corporate use.
Different Mavic models have different camera specifications, ranging from 12 to 48 megapixels, and are capable of shooting 4K and 5.1K video. They are equipped with obstacle avoidance systems, GPS navigation, and various intelligent flight modes. DJI has also released several controllers for the Mavic series, including models with built-in displays and the ability to use a smartphone as a screen. Some Mavic models support SDKs for third-party app development.
Due to their affordability and ease of use, Mavic drones have been called “wedding drones”, but during the Russian-Ukrainian war, they became one of the most commonly used combat reconnaissance tools. “Mavicas are used by both sides of the conflict to reconnoiter territory, adjust artillery fire, and drop improvised munitions on enemy targets. Their compact size, affordability and relatively long flight time have made them a valuable tool in modern warfare.