Context · DG DEFIS · EU
Commission launches EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance with 18 founding members
DG DEFIS — Defence Industry & Space (EC) · published 17 Jul 2026 · · Source ↗
Deadline—
Budget / value—
Statusclosed
Why it matters
The Commission has named a first tier of preferred EU-Ukraine drone industrial partners, which will shape follow-on EDF/EDIP and Drone Deal funding flows. Drone, C-UAS and subsystem makers not in the 18 should plan for partnership or supplier roles with these members rather than expecting a second founding round soon.
Do this: Contact business development at the founding members closest to your capability (e.g. Quantum Systems, Delair, WB Group, ORQA) to position as a subsystem/JV partner ahead of the September Brussels meeting, and monitor DG DEFIS for any expansion call.
Route: consortium · For: BD / bid leads at defence-tech scale-upsEstablished SME suppliers & subsystem makersInvestors & analysts
Summary
The European Commission launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance at the third EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv, implementing the 'Drone Deal' announced by President von der Leyen on 15 July 2026. Eighteen founding members were selected via an open call for expressions of interest that closed 25 May 2026, including EU firms (ORQA, Indra Group, Fincantieri, WB Group, Destinus, Delair, RSI Europe, TERMA, Quantum Systems) and Ukrainian firms (Skyfall Industries, Greentech Harvest, Tencore, Deviro, Vyriy Industry, ATHLON AVIA, TAF Industries, UFORCE, F-Drones). The aim is joint ventures and faster development/production of next-generation drone and counter-drone systems; the first members' meeting is set for Brussels in September 2026.
Eligibility
Founding membership closed 25 May 2026; members are EU- and Ukraine-based companies, start-ups, researchers and users.
Source text (raw, may be non-English)
The European Commission officially launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance during the third EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv. 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 founding members of the alliance have been selected following an open call for expression of interest. EU based members: ORQA d.o.o., Indra Group, Fincantieri, WB Electronics/WB Group, Destinus, Delair, RSI Europe, TERMA A/S, Quantum Systems Ukrainian members: 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 F-Drones The Commission is now preparing the first meeting of the 18 founding members scheduled to take place in Brussels in September. 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 Publication date 17 July 2026 Author Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space
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Context
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Source: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/commission-launches-eu-ukraine-drone-alliance-boost-drone-and-counter-drone-technology-2026-07-17_en — summarised by Rearm Radar; verify details at source before bidding. Enrichment: anthropic/claude-opus-5 (confidence 90%).