(Pixabay)
EU launches new drone alliance with Ukraine
A total of 18 defence companies will scale drone and counter-drone production in partnership with Ukraine.
29 JUL 2026
By
Tom
Barlow-Brown
Defence Journalist, DSEI Gateway
The European Commission has officially launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance to help scale UAS and counter-UAS production and bolster European defence.
Launched on 17 July 2026 at the third EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, the alliance will bring together companies, startups, researchers, and armed forces from EU member states and Ukraine.
How will the drone alliance work?
The alliance’s main goal is to strengthen European and Ukrainian defence by “supporting a strong drone industry” and “encouraging the development of new drone and counter-drone technology”.
A total of 18 founding members for the alliance were selected from industry through an open call that closed in May, with five seats on the board reserved for smaller companies and startups.
The selected members range from large companies such as Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Indra Group to SMEs such as Ukraine’s Uforce and Croatia’s Orqa FPV.
Ultimate oversight and general strategy of the alliance will lie with the commission and Ukraine.
The commission is now preparing for the first meeting of the alliance’s 18 founding members, which will take place in Brussels in September.
A demand signal for industry
Speaking to DSEI Gateway at an exclusive event at the Honourable Artillery Company in London, UK, Orqa FPV co-founder and CEO Srdjan Kovacevic welcomed the alliance as a more structured way for the commission to engage industry.
He hopes the alliance will bring relevant companies “around the table” to open up conversations with policymakers.
Kovacevic added that the new alliance may also incentivise Ukrainian manufacturers to work with more European suppliers. The company recently partnered with Ukrainian manufacturer General Cherry to build interceptor drones and market them in Europe.
The Orqa FPV CEO also intends to push for companies further down the supply chain, such as semiconductor makers, to become involved with the alliance, warning that chip prices are rising and availability is tightening.
Tom
Barlow-Brown
Defence Journalist, DSEI Gateway
Tom Barlow-Brown is a Defence Journalist for DSEI Gateway. Previously he worked as a reporter in the maritime sector covering developments in energy and tech.