- DK NEJET
Ukraine’s defense-tech is ready to scale. Export rules aren’t.
For Ukraine’s defense‑tech sector, the main bottleneck today is not engineering talent or demand from partners; it is the export system itself. Our CEO explains why the current framework slows down growth, and what changes could unlock Ukraine’s full potential on the global defense market.
The core problem: slow, unpredictable exports
For a long time, the biggest issue for our group’s Ukrainian company has been the lack of a clear and predictable mechanism for exporting finished products and technologies. On paper, there are promising frameworks – our own emerging Drone Deal format for long‑term cooperation with partner countries, the new EU–Ukraine Drone Deal, and initiatives like Build with Ukraine that encourage joint production and investment in defence tech, but on the ground it remains very difficult to see how these instruments translate into day‑to‑day export decisions, realistic timelines, and manageable risks.
We’re asked to plan multi‑year R&D and production while operating inside a patchwork of regulations: Ukrainian export rules, EU‑level schemes, and bilateral Drone Deals, each with different procedures and interpretations. Until these programs are backed by a more harmonized and transparent export mechanism—one that clearly defines categories, standard approval times, and predictable conditions—it will be hard for Ukrainian manufacturers to use Drone Deal or Build with Ukraine at full capacity and scale our technologies to meet the real demand we see from partners.
For high‑tech companies, several points remain critical:
- Lengthy, complex coordination between multiple state bodies.
- No reliable timelines for obtaining export licenses.
- Difficulties exporting software, autonomous algorithms, and other dual‑use technologies that don’t fit well into classical arms‑control procedures.
- Challenges in planning international contracts when a manufacturer cannot give the customer firm guarantees on the timing of export approvals.
- Introduction of a “single window” principle for all export approvals, so companies do not have to navigate multiple agencies separately.
- Clear, regulated timelines for reviewing applications.
- Separate, simplified procedures for trusted manufacturers with a proven track record of fulfilling contracts.
- Dedicated regulatory treatment for the export of software, autonomous algorithms, AI solutions, and other intangible components of modern defense systems.
- The possibility of obtaining long‑term or framework export licenses for serial deliveries to allies, instead of processing every batch as a separate case.
- Ukrainian companies can confidently enter long‑term programs with allies.
- Investors can assess risk more accurately and back local innovation.
- Ukraine can position itself not just as a battlefield innovator, but as a stable, long‑term player on the global defense market.
In defense‑tech, speed is often a competitive advantage. If the approval cycle takes months, a Ukrainian company risks losing a contract to a supplier from another country—regardless of whether Ukraine’s technology is superior.
What needs to change in the export framework
What needs to change in the export framework is not just a few technical details, but the overall philosophy of how defence technologies (especially drones) are treated. Right now, companies that are ready to produce at scale are slowed down by opaque procedures, inconsistent interpretations between agencies, and a lack of fast‑track routes for technologies that are already being used on the battlefield.
From our perspective, several regulatory and procedural changes are worth serious consideration:
These steps would not weaken control; they would make it workable in a world where code, autonomy, and rapid iteration define the cutting edge of defense technologies.
How these issues play out in real contracts
Our company works with partners in NATO countries and is already negotiating joint production and integration of Ukrainian technologies into European defense programs.
In practice, we have repeatedly encountered situations where international partners were ready to move to contract signing—but due to uncertainty around export procedures, it was difficult to give them predictable timelines for delivery or integration. As a result, decisions had to be postponed, internal approvals on their side restarted, or projects temporarily frozen.
This is not a theoretical problem: it directly affects Ukraine’s ability to scale its technologies, attract investment, and compete globally.
Why export reform is strategic, not technical
For Ukrainian defense‑tech, it is absolutely critical that the export system is not only controlled and compliant, but also fast, predictable, and understandable for international partners.
When the rules are clear and timelines are reliable:
In other words, export reform is not just paperwork. It is one of the levers that will determine whether Ukraine’s wartime technology breakthroughs become a lasting strategic advantage—or remain confined within the country’s borders.
DK NEJET Group is a software-first autonomous operations provider, engineering swarm coordination software, building combat-proven platforms, and training mission-ready operators. The group works closely with government, industry, and research partners across Ukraine, Latvia, Norway, and other European countries to strengthen defence-industrial cooperation and resilience.