Drone Coalition allocates €1.8 billion to support Ukraine in 2024
25 November, 2024 A batch of Grey Widow 1 strike drones for the SSU. August 2024. Ukraine.
Photo credits: Nebesna Kara The support for Ukraine by the member countries of the Drone Coalition, led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, will reach EUR1.8 billion by the end of 2024. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported on this.
"Drones have become an integral part of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This is a technological advantage that allows us to deter and destroy the enemy. Therefore, it is important to continue working on scaling up their production both in Ukraine and in the West," said Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization.
The official thanked the partners for their consistent and unwavering support of the Drone Coalition, as well as for understanding the importance of this initiative for global security.
The drones of the Vikhor FPV complex.
2024. Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
"The International Drone Coalition has become an important platform for the development of the drone industry, which will also strengthen our national defense in the future," said Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds. In total, the Coalition brings together 17 countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
The aim of the Drone Coalition is to ensure the industrial production of FPV drones and expand the drone industry in the West and in Ukraine to create an asymmetric technological advantage over the enemy on the battlefield in accordance with the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Drone Coalition has a joint fund for the purchase of drones, which holds regular tenders as a way to create innovative products on a competitive basis. The fund is worth EUR83 million.
A Ukrainian Liutyi attack drone.
2024. Photo credits: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The rest of the assistance is provided by the Drone Coalition members on a bilateral basis in the form of unmanned aerial vehicles and financial support. The Swedish government has recently announced funding for the production of Ukrainian long-range drones as part of its military assistance.
In this way, the country will join the "Danish model" of supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities.
This format provides direct funding for production in Ukraine, which will allow for faster production and delivery of the necessary weapons to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.