The defence ministers of Norway and Ukraine have signed a declaration of intent to establish Ukrainian drone production in Norway. A pilot line is planned to be ready by 2026 and will subsequently be expanded for increased capacity. The finished materiel will be donated to Ukraine.

The project is part of Build with Ukraine, an initiative to establish Ukrainian military production in partner countries. According to Norway's Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik, the agreement signifies increased technology exchange and closer cooperation between the Norwegian and Ukrainian defence industries.

– This is exactly the type of cooperation we want to build – joint projects that strengthen the defence in both our countries, says Ukraine's Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) and Norwegian industry are involved to carry out research and development work within the framework of the project. According to FFI's Research Director André Pettersen, experiences from Ukraine will be utilised in the Norwegian development of drone capacity.

– Ukraine shares its experience and technology with Norway. We gain a production capacity that can provide our soldiers with modern drones. Additionally, this opens up new opportunities for research and development, says Shmyhal.

The drone agreement is the latest in a series of bilateral defence collaborations between Norway and Ukraine. During the JEF meeting in Bodø (northern Norway) earlier in November, the countries signed two other agreements – one between Nammo and a Ukrainian partner on joint ammunition production in Ukraine, and a governmental cooperation agreement on mutual quality assurance of defence materiel.