Ukraine to receive 12 thousand Latvian-made drones

18 February, 2025 Latvian Ardlat FPV drone. Latvia. Source: Ardlat Company

In the first half of 2025, 12 thousand Latvian-made drones will be delivered to Ukraine. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced this, Delfi reports. The delivery of these drones will take place within the framework of the International Drone Coalition.

The coalition is led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. It was formed in February 2024. It includes 17 countries, with Norway recently joining.

So far, the member states have pledged to provide Ukraine with almost EUR2 billion for drones. The coalition states have supplied or will soon supply about 100,000 different combat drones to Ukraine. First of all, we are talking about FPV drones.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds inspects a new batch of drones.

Source: Minister's X-account.

Minister Andris Spruds stated that over the past year, about 5,000 different Latvian-made drones worth EUR15 million were transferred to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The drone coalition also established an international procurement fund administered by the British side. Latvia contributed EUR5 million to this multimillion-euro fund.

Other assistance is provided by Coalition members on a bilateral basis in the form of unmanned aerial vehicles and financial support. In the first international tender announced by the Coalition, five companies out of more than 260 European manufacturers were selected to supply 30,000 drones worth EUR45 million. Two Latvian manufacturers also received an order worth EUR17 million.

"In the first half of the year, 12,000 Latvian-made drones will be delivered to Ukraine," Spruds announced. This year, Latvia plans to allocate EUR20 million for the purchase of drones for the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Latvian Ardlat FPV drones for the Ukrainian military. February 2025.

Source: Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia

In early February, the Latvian Ziedot.lv charitable foundation transferred 100 new Latvian Ardlat drones to the Ukrainian defense as part of the 'Drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine' initiative.