UK and Latvia announce tender for FPV drones to support Ukrainian Forces
The United Kingdom and Latvia have announced a tender for the procurement of FPV drones to be supplied to Ukraine's Defence Forces, according to a Facebook post by Deputy Minister of Defence for Digital Development, Ekaterina Chernohorenko.
Chernohorenko noted that companies from all countries within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, including Ukrainian drone manufacturers, are eligible to participate in the tender. The tender will select companies to supply UAVs to the Ukrainian military on a large scale and at affordable rates.
Interested participants can submit their applications by filling out a form on the official procurement portal of the UK Armed Forces.
Applications will be accepted until 28 June 2024, after which they will be reviewed by members of the Drone Coalition, led by Latvia.
"I am grateful to the UK and Latvia for this initiative and encourage Ukrainian manufacturers to participate in the tender. This is a great opportunity for the entire industry," Chernohorenko wrote.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Riga on January 11, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics announced that his country would take charge of the UAV line as part of a military cooperation memorandum.
Rinkevics highlighted that Latvia has taken a leadership role in the Drone Coalition. "We see opportunities for collaboration. We can produce more affordable drones that are highly effective and very much needed by the Ukrainian military for success," he explained.
On January 16, Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced that the country has made significant progress in forming the Drone Coalition, which now includes nearly 20 nations
Spruds emphasised that the project's primary goal is to maximise the number of UAVs delivered to Ukraine.
Additionally, on June 11, Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems, Vadym Sukharevsky, announced that Ukrainian defenders have received six times more drones from state companies in the past five months than in the entire year of 2023.
Furthermore, on May 24, the fundraising platform United24 launched its first campaign for ground-based robotic systems for Ukraine’s Defence Forces. The campaign focuses on three types of Ukrainian-made robots: combat, kamikaze deminers, and logistics.