Ukraine to Receive First Drone Package From Latvia

Latvia will deliver the nation’s first tranche of unmanned aerial system donations to Kyiv under the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG).

UDCG is a 56-member coalition between NATO, EU, and partner nations that coordinates military aid for the Ukrainian government in response to Russia’s invasion.

In January, the UDCG adopted a drone coalition aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s unmanned capabilities, with Latvia, Sweden, and the UK leading the initiative. 

Alongside the aerial vehicles, participants are encouraged to provide spare parts, production services, logistics support, testing, training, and associated technical solutions for Ukraine.

For Riga’s contribution, the government will allocate approximately 10 million euros ($10.7 million) per year.

Drones for Ukraine

The latest announcement was revealed by Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds during the weekly Latvian-led drone consortium meeting earlier this month.

To date, 14 countries under UDCG have committed their support in supplying drones for Ukraine. The alliance is expecting more countries to join.

“We are moving towards Latvia being active in both leadership of the drone coalition, and drone deliveries to Ukraine,” Sprūds remarked during the forum.

“I sincerely thank Latvian manufacturers for supplying drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is just the beginning, as we, in cooperation with local companies, prepare for future shipments.”

Latest Progress

The UK announced in March that about 10,000 drones will be sent to Ukraine under the UDCG’s drone effort. Approximately 125 million pounds ($155.6 million) will be drawn from the government funds to support the pledge.

Simultaneously, Lithuania delivered additional jamming equipment to Kyiv to protect warfighters against the enemy unmanned aerial systems.

In February, Canada said it would send 800 Teledyne FLIR-developed drones to Ukraine.

The same month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inaugurated the establishment of a new military branch focusing on drone warfare.