UK, Latvia launch industry competition to provide thousands of drones for Ukraine

The UK and Latvia have opened the bidding for companies to supply first person view drones to Ukraine as part of the new Drone Capability Coalition.

The UK Defense Ministry said this in a press release, Ukrinform reports.

This competition is open to industry from any nation in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

The competition aims to produce these drones "at scale and at an affordable price point, leveraging the strength of Western industry."

Companies have until 28 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.

Members of the Drone Capability Coalition include the UK, Latvia, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine. Further countries are considering joining the coalition.

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, armored vehicles, and ships with explosive ordnance.

Photo: heroesukraine.org