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European Commission - Press release Commission launches EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance to boost drone and counter-drone technology Brussels, 17 July 2026 The European Commission officially launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance during the third EU- Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv. The Alliance will help the EU and Ukraine work more closely on developing and using drones and systems to stop hostile drones. It is par...
European Commission - Press release Commission launches EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance to boost drone and counter-drone technology Brussels, 17 July 2026 The European Commission officially launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance during the third EU- Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv. The Alliance will help the EU and Ukraine work more closely on developing and using drones and systems to stop hostile drones. It is part of wider EU efforts to strengthen Europe's defence in this fast-changing area. The Alliance brings together companies, start-ups, researchers, armed forces and other users from EU countries and Ukraine. Its main goal is to help improve the security of both the EU and Ukraine by supporting a strong drone industry, encouraging the development of new drone and counter-drone technologies, and helping build Europe's overall capacity in this area. The Alliance begins to implement the Drone Deal , announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv on Wednesday 15 July. Its objective is to build joint ventures between Ukrainian and European companies, and to accelerate the development and production of next-generation drones and counter- drone systems. By doing so, it will help ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs today, while strengthening Europe's defence readiness for the future. The Commission is now preparing the first meeting of the 18 founding members scheduled to take place in Brussels in September. These founding members, selected following an open call for expression of interest, include ORQA d.o.o., Indra Group, Fincantieri, WB Electronics/WB Group, Destinus, Delair, RSI Europe, TERMA A/S, Quantum Systems from EU Member States. Selected Ukrainian members are LLC Skyfall Industries, LLC Greentech Harvest, LLC Tencore, LLC Deviro, LLC Vyriy Industry, Scientific production Company ‘ATHLON AVIA' LLC, LLC TEHAVTOFART PIVDEN" (TAF Industries), UFORCE and F-Drones. Background The EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance was first announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the European Union speech in 2025 to foster an innovative defence drone-industrial ecosystem. It is a key deliverable of the Joint Communication Preserving Peace – Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 , published in October 2025, and of the Communication on the Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security of February 2026. The announcement follows the selection of the 18 founding members, including both EU and Ukrainian companies, based on a call for expressions of interest . The application deadline was 25 May 2026. For More Information EU Defence Industry Transformation Roadmap Action plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security Call for Founding Members of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance IP/26/1648 Quote(s): "Without any delay, we start to implement recently announced ‘EU-Ukraine Drone Deal’. EU and Ukraine drone and counter-drone producers will start their work to jointly amplify our efforts in drone development segment. As Russia is scaling up its drone production volumes, we should augment our joint efforts as well." Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space - 17/07/2026 Press contacts: Thomas REGNIER (+32 2 29 91099) Marine STRAUSS (+32 2 29 89103) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email