5 May 2026
The European Union and Ukraine will form a joint alliance dedicated to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and countermeasures against them.
This was reported by European Pravda.
To this end, the European Commission has announced a call for expressions of interest in becoming founding members of this alliance.
The goal of the alliance is to strengthen the security and defense of the EU and Ukraine by developing an innovative industrial ecosystem for defense UAVs. Applications from interested parties will be accepted until May 25, 2026.
The European Commission noted that the initiative is based on the need to protect against growing threats from the use of drones.
A Ukrainian drone operator during the NATO Hedgehog exercises in Estonia. May 2025. Source: vbl/OR-7 Ardi Hallismaa
As an industry ecosystem, the alliance will contribute to building comprehensive capabilities in the field of UAVs and countermeasures based on the Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030 and the Commission’s Action Plan on the Safety of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Countermeasures.
Founders will be selected from among applicants with proven experience in the EU and Ukrainian defense drone ecosystems.
They will form the alliance’s first board, which will determine the organization’s priorities and areas of activity. The alliance is expected to begin operations in the coming months.
Ukraine’s cooperation with the EU
Recently, the European Commission, in partnership with Ukraine, launched the BraveTech EU project to accelerate the development and production of modern weaponry.
A participant in the EUDIS Defence hackathon is developing a system for drone navigation. Photo: European Commission
The program combines the efforts of the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU Defence Agency, and the Ukrainian platform Brave1. As part of the project, a new testing platform with a budget of €35 million was created to evaluate military technologies in real combat conditions.
In addition, in March, the European Commission approved a work program worth €1.5 billion to develop the defense-industrial complex of the EU and Ukraine.
The first tranche of military aid to Ukraine under the EU’s 90-billion-euro loan will be allocated to the procurement of Ukrainian-made drones.
This alliance will benefit everyone, but, hopefully, Ukraine the most.