EU launches drone alliance with Ukraine, says Europe needs to learn from Ukrainian industry
The European Union and Ukraine have held the first meeting of a new drone industry alliance aimed at jointly developing and scaling up production of unmanned systems.
The meeting in Brussels brought together nine Ukrainian companies and nine manufacturers, startups and technology companies from the EU, European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said Friday.
“We need to learn from Ukraine how to scale up production and meet demand for new technologies when needed,” Kubilius said, calling the alliance a step toward integrating the Ukrainian and European defense industries.
The initiative is intended to combine Ukraine's battlefield experience and rapidly evolving drone technology with European industrial capacity, as EU countries face increasing drone incursions over airports, military sites and critical infrastructure.
Kubilius said Europe needs both faster development cycles and production lines capable of rapidly increasing output in the event of war.
The alliance will focus on joint development and production of drones and counter-drone systems. Its next board meeting is expected before the end of the year.