Wednesday also saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between 15 countries, which envisages coordinated cooperation, the development of drone technologies and their application both to support Ukraine and to strengthen the defense capabilities of other countries, reports Sargs.lv from the NATO summit in Washington, DC.
The Drone Coalition plans to deliver 1 million combat drones to Ukraine, but since its formation in February, its horizons are steadily widening as the crucial role of drones in military applications becomes clearer by the day.
"This mechanism is very important, because it shows that we are moving forward not only declaratively, but also with concrete steps of action," Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds told reporters at the NATO summit. "Five months ago, we signed a letter of intent, but now we have already created concrete mechanisms both in relation to the development of our own industry and supporting Ukraine, including investing in its industry."
The member states are committed not only to supply drones to Ukraine, but also to develop high-quality technologies that will increase their efficiency and range of applications. "We've supplied a lot of high quality drones that aren't just FPV drones, we've supplied anti-drone electronic warfare systems," Sprūds said.
"We see that interest in joining the coalition is high. New Zealand joined today, and there are already 15 countries in total that have signed these documents," noted Sprūds.
At the recent NATO ministerial meeting, Italy and France also joined the coalition. "Drones are of course playing an increasingly important role and these technologies that we have chosen to develop with the UK are very important," Sprūds said. "We are talking about 600 million euros, which the countries have committed to support the drone coalition," he added, outlining a new fund which is being established to pay for the advanced drone technology.
"Currently, a specific financing mechanism has been created in which Latvia will also invest funds. It will be possible to use the fund both for the purchase of drones from partner countries and by direct investment and purchase from Ukrainian manufacturers," said Sprūds.
The newly created joint fund of the coalition will be used for the conclusion of the agreements, in which the United Kingdom, Denmark, New Zealand, Latvia, the Netherlands and Sweden have initially invested "over €45M to the Common Fund, with additional contributions anticipated" according to the Memorandum of Understanding. Latvia has contributed 5 million euros, Sprūds said on social media.
Dronu koalīcijas dalībvalstis parakstījušas saprašanās memorandu. Tas palīdzēs koordinēt turpmākos iepirkumus un nodrošinās starptautiskā fonda darbību. Fondā dalībvalstis varēs veikt iemaksas dronu iegādei no dronu koalīcijas dalībvalstu industrijām. Latvija šajā fondā šogad… pic.twitter.com/2gOEoD2ee9
— Andris Spruds (@AndrisSpruds) July 11, 2024
The Latvian Ministry of Defense has allocated 20 million euros for the needs of the drone coalition this year, of which more than 10 million are intended for the purchase of drones from the Latvian defense industry. In April and May of this year, Latvia sent 135 combat drones of various capacities and electronic warfare equipment worth approximately EUR 1 million to Ukraine.
Also, the drone coalition has announced an industry tender for the purchase of first-person view (FPV) drones, in which 265 bids are currently being evaluated. More than 400 companies showed interest in participating in the competition, most of which are registered in the United Kingdom, Latvia and Ukraine. The results of the competition and the signing of contracts are expected in August this year, Sargs.lv said.
