UK and Latvia launch drones for Ukraine industry competition
In February, the UK and Latvia announced that they would lead the new Drone Capability Coalition, designed to rapidly supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of first person view (FPV) drones and have now opened the bidding for companies to supply them.
Image courtesy MoD
This competition aims to produce these drones at scale and at an affordable price point, leveraging the strength of Western industry.
Industry can find the details of how to apply via the Defence Sourcing Portal. This competition is open to industry from any nation in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
Companies have until 28th June 2024 to submit their proposals, which will then be considered by the Drone Capability Coalition members and evaluated. Successful companies will receive orders to supply drones to Ukraine and, upon receipt of positive operational feedback, the intent is to place larger, follow up orders for FPV drones. Additional FPV competitions are expected to take place through 2024, building on the lessons learned from this first competition.
First person view drones have proven highly effective on the battlefield since Russia’s full-scale invasion, providing Ukrainian operators with situational awareness to target enemy positions, armoured vehicles, and ships with explosive ordnance.
Members of the coalition include: UK, Latvia, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine. Further countries are considering joining the coalition.