In February, the UK and Latvia announced the formation of the Drone Capability Coalition, aimed at swiftly providing Ukraine with tens of thousands of first-person view (FPV) drones.

Today, the UK and Latvia have opened the bidding process for companies to supply FPV drones to Ukraine under the Drone Capability Coalition. The competition seeks to produce these drones at scale and cost-effectively, utilizing the robust capabilities of Western industry.

Detailed application instructions are available on the Defence Sourcing Portal. This competition welcomes entries from any nation within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

Companies have until 28 June 2024 to submit their proposals, which will then be evaluated by the members of the Drone Capability Coalition. Selected companies will receive initial orders to supply drones to Ukraine. Upon receiving positive operational feedback, larger follow-up orders for FPV drones are anticipated. Additional FPV drone competitions are planned throughout 2024, building on the insights gained from this initial competition.

First-person view drones have demonstrated significant battlefield effectiveness since Russia's full-scale invasion, enhancing Ukrainian operators' situational awareness to target enemy positions, armored vehicles, and ships with explosive ordnance.

The coalition includes the UK, Latvia, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine, with more countries considering joining. Photo by Azerelia, Wikimedia commons.