The UK and its allies will provide 30,000 drones to Ukraine
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The International Drone Capability Coalition has signed contracts for £45 million (about USD 55.3 million) to supply drones to Ukraine. Led by the UK and Latvia, the coalition will provide 30,000 state-of-the-art FPV-drones to Ukraine.
This was announced by the UK Defense Secretary John Healey and Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds during the meeting in the Ramstein format on Thursday, January 9.
Details of the agreement
The funding comes from five countries: the UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Latvia and Sweden.
Among the coalition’s funds:
— The UK has committed £15 million to the Drone Capability Coalition fund.
— The total fund of the coalition now stands at £73 million, raised by the UK and its partners.
The newest FPV-drones will allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to maneuver past Russian Air Defence to engage targets and strike enemy positions and armored vehicles. These modern technologies will significantly enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities in countering Russian aggression.
In addition to the drones, the Allies also provided additional funds to the International Fund for Ukraine, which is managed by the UK. The total amount of new commitments exceeds £190 million.
Among the funds:
— £67 million from Denmark for drones, Air Defence Systems, and training equipment.
— £59 million from Norway for drones and maritime training.
— £43 million from Portugal for reconnaissance and surveillance drones.
— £20 million from Sweden for the repair of Archer artillery systems and maritime training.
— £4 million from Germany for maritime training.
— £1 million from Iceland to fund coastal radars.
As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that on January 8, a special meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff was held, the main topic of which was the production and supply of drones for the Ukrainian army. According to him, drones have already dramatically changed the nature of warfare, and this process is ongoing.
Also, Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine plans to increase its own drone production. We are talking about record numbers this year.
