The DOT Defence Procurement Agency has, for the first time, signed a contract for buggies for the Defence Forces. The deal covers more than 2,000 vehicles. The Defence Ministry reported this.
According to Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister, Mstyslav Banik, these are four-wheel-drive vehicles fitted with high-flotation tyres. The four-wheel drive can be engaged and disengaged.
The DOT Defence Procurement Agency carried out simplified procurement through the Prozorro electronic system and split it into 11 separate lots. This allowed suppliers to compete with one another, while the Agency selected the most advantageous offers. Suppliers are to deliver almost all of the contracted vehicles by December 2026.
“Savings from the tender totalled around UAH 1.5bn. In this way, thanks to tender procedures, we use resources more efficiently, directing the money saved to other needs of our military,” Mstyslav Banik said.
A buggy is a light, mobile off-road vehicle. It is fast and manoeuvrable, enabling units to move where heavy equipment gets bogged down or becomes too conspicuous, the Defence Ministry said.
Buggies are used for the following tasks:
- evacuating the wounded: medics take advantage of the vehicle’s smooth ride and can drive right up to positions;
- delivering ammunition, provisions, fuel and equipment to remote positions;
- conducting reconnaissance and patrols, as buggies move quietly and remain highly mobile;
- rapidly redeploying small infantry groups and drone operators.
At present, Ukraine’s Defence Forces use buggies on the battlefield that are both domestically produced and foreign-made. Among Ukrainian designs, the “Varan”, VOLS, “Khyzhak” and “Dracarys” buggies have passed tests and have real combat experience. Some of them have already been codified.
As a reminder, in September the Brave1 defence cluster, together with the military unit 33 GROUP as part of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence “Tymur Special Unit”, conducted closed trials of Ukrainian-made buggies, including models with remote-control capability.