United to win: Drone Coalition secures nearly €500 mln for Ukraine's UAVs purchase
The drones were obtained as part of the "Army of Drones". Photo: Mykhailo Fedorov
Almost 500 million euros have already been collected by the drone coalition led by Latvia for the purchase of drones for Ukraine.
The Minister of Defense of Latvia, Andris Spruds, announced that on the X social network.
He specified that the contribution included:
- 400 million euros from Denmark and the Netherlands,
- 70 million euros from Canada,
- 3 million euros from Lithuania,
- and approximately 10 million euros from Latvia.
Spruds added that this is only the beginning; negotiations with other countries are currently ongoing.
EOS C VTOL drones, which Ukraine's intelligence received from the Serhiy Prytula Foundation. Photo: Ukraine's intelligence
For reference:
On January 18, the creation of the Coalition of Drones and Radio-Electronic Warfare was reported.
Latvia initiated the creation of the Coalition. The initiative was announced during a meeting between its Minister of Defense, Andris Spruds, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, in December 2023.
According to the Latvian minister, this initiative will help the Ukrainian military in the war, where drones have become essential to combat operations.
Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization, presented to the representatives of 13 participating countries Ukraine's need for unmanned systems, means of electronic warfare, and technologies that will protect critical infrastructure.
Illustrative photo of the Delair DT46 drone. Photo: Sébastien Lecornu
The partner countries have voiced their backing and comprehension of the feasibility of the coalition.
Ukrainian officials presented their partners with a form of drone coalition known as "50, 30, 20," where 50% of the funding is allocated for purchases from Ukrainian manufacturers.
Ukraine is prepared to obtain 30% of its drones from manufacturers in partner countries, while the remaining 20% will be allotted to joint ventures, making up a total of 100%.
According to this proposal, joint ventures and production plants will be established in Ukraine.
Kateryna Chernohorenko added that there have already been several rounds of negotiations between partners and Ukrainian companies that can provide such an opportunity for joint ventures. The drone coalition includes not only aircraft or drones but all domains.
It should be noted that the "Defense Procurement Agency" of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine concluded contracts for the supply of 3,000 DJI Mavic 3E and 1,000 DJI Mavic 3T UAVs with additional equipment based on the results of the Prozorro bidding process.
