Sweden and UK Join Drone Coalition

26 January, 2024 LUNA NG unmanned aerial system. Photo credits: Rheinmetall Sweden and the United Kingdom have joined the Drone Coalition.

This brings the total number of participating countries to four, according to the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In particular, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson announced this decision during a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine on January 23?

2024. The Drone Coalition was created by Ukraine and Latvia.

The decision was made during the visit of Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds to Kyiv. According to the Latvian Defense Minister, this initiative will help the Ukrainian military in a war where the use of drones has become an important element of combat operations.

The PD-2 unmanned aerial vehicle handed over to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, December 21, 2023. Photo credits: Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

"Unmanned technologies can turn the tide of this war.

We are grateful to our allies for supporting the Drone Coalition. We have only just created it and already have reliable and powerful partners in its ranks. We are working to increase the number of participants," commented Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization Kateryna Chernohorenko.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Swedish Defense Industry will increase the production of artillery ammunition for Ukraine. The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) signed an agreement with Nammo ammunition manufacturer. The contract deals with investment in increasing capacity to produce 155mm artillery ammunition in Sweden.

Illustrative photo of WARMATE 3.0 loitering munition.

Photo credits: WB Electronics.

As previously reported, the Government of the United Kingdom proposed to the Government of Germany to conclude an agreement that would increase the supply of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. The agreement provides for the transfer of Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles to the United Kingdom. It remains unclear whether these will be new missiles or ones that are already in service with the German Air Force.

In its turn, the British government will provide Ukraine with more Storm Shadow cruise missiles that are in service with the Royal Air Force.

These missiles are used by the Ukrainian Air Force for the Su-24M bombers.