The Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Ruben Breckelmans, announced his country’s decision to allocate 400 million euros for the joint development of drones with Ukraine. He made this statement during his unannounced visit to Kyiv and Kharkiv on October 6, the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands reports.
Breckelmans emphasized that combining “Dutch technological achievements and knowledge with Ukraine’s unique combat experience” will allow the creation of new “innovative and effective drones” that can significantly affect the course of hostilities. According to him, the development of drones is happening at a very fast pace, so it is important to act immediately without delaying the testing and production processes.
The minister emphasized the need for a quick transition from prototypes to mass production. He urged investors and technology partners to quickly purchase and test new models of drones to ramp up production as soon as possible. If these drones prove effective, the Netherlands is ready to increase funding to expand their mass development.
It is planned that half of the initial investment will go to production facilities in the Netherlands, and the remaining funds will be distributed between Ukraine and other countries. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, Reuters notes.
It is also worth mentioning that earlier, in July of this year, the Netherlands announced a donation of 20 million euros to the joint fund of the coalition for the production of drones. These funds were supposed to ensure the supply of one million FPV drones to support the Ukrainian army.
