The alliance brings together companies, start-ups, researchers, armed forces and other users from EU member states and Ukraine. Its purpose is to support a stronger drone industrial base and accelerate new drone and counter-drone technologies.
The Commission said the alliance forms part of wider EU efforts to strengthen European defence in a fast-changing field. It is also intended to improve the security of both Ukraine and the European Union.
The alliance begins implementation of the Drone Deal announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv on 15 July. The deal is focused on building joint ventures between Ukrainian and European companies.
Those joint ventures are expected to speed the development and production of next-generation drones and counter-drone systems. The Commission said the approach should help Ukraine meet current battlefield needs while strengthening Europe’s future defence readiness.
The founding members were selected after an open call for expressions of interest. The Commission said the application deadline was 25 May 2026.
EU-based founding members include ORQA, Indra Group, Fincantieri, WB Electronics/WB Group, Destinus, Delair, RSI Europe, TERMA and Quantum Systems. Ukrainian founding members include Skyfall Industries, Greentech Harvest, Tencore, Deviro, Vyriy Industry, ATHLON AVIA, TAF Industries, UFORCE and F-Drones.
The first meeting of the 18 founding members is being prepared by the Commission. It is scheduled to take place in Brussels in September.
The EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance was first announced by von der Leyen in her 2025 State of the European Union speech. The Commission described it as a way to foster an innovative defence drone-industrial ecosystem.
The alliance is also a key deliverable under the Joint Communication “Preserving Peace – Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030”, published in October 2025. It is further linked to the February 2026 Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security.
For Brussels and Kyiv, the project gives defence industry cooperation a clearer structure in one of the most active areas of military technology. It also places Ukrainian battlefield experience and European industrial capacity inside a single framework for future development.
Source: European Commission (press release).
