Ukraine Simplifies the Codification of Military Products
On 2 March 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted amendments to several resolutions aimed at reforming the codification procedure for arms and military equipment and streamlining the supply of defence products for the Defence Forces. The updated approach will enable Ukrainian enterprises to accelerate the market entry of new solutions and products, reducing the time from product development to contracting.
Codification and technical specifications
The codification procedure no longer requires prior state confirmation of an urgent need for a product. Any product can be successfully codified regardless of current public procurement plans.
Furthermore, under the new rules, manufacturers will independently develop and approve technical specifications for defence products, which the state will use solely to guide procurement. At the same time, such technical specifications must be entered into the main register of technical specifications and the relevant electronic database.
Simplification of codification and contracting for certain types of arms and military equipment
UAVs and EW systems
The government has revised market access rules for manufacturers of tactical-level unmanned systems and electronic warfare (EW) systems. The key change allows these systems to be procured without applying standard state quality assurance procedures. Instead, contractors will issue a quality certificate and assume full independent responsibility for the product’s declared parameters, safety, and technical condition.
Ammunition and explosives
The procurement procedure for military-grade explosives has been separately streamlined – they are now included in the list of goods subject to simplified procurement during martial law.
Additionally, ammunition can now be codified and approved for operational use without demonstration trials. Manufacturers qualify for this exemption if state customer representatives participated in preliminary trials and officially approved the testing program and methodology.
Conclusions
The state has taken an important step towards streamlining interaction with arms and military equipment manufacturers. Enterprises have gained more flexibility: they can codify products without waiting for prior confirmation of an urgent need from the state.
The adopted changes take into account the current operational needs of the Defence Forces and focus on the most in-demand areas – unmanned systems, EW systems, and ammunition. This optimisation is expected to help newly developed systems enter service with Defence Forces units more quickly and seamlessly.