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The United Kingdom and Latvia have launched an industry competition to supply thousands of first-person view (FPV) drones to Ukraine.
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The drones will be procured as part of the Drone Capability Coalition for Ukraine, co-led by the UK and Latvia, according to a public statement released by the UK Ministry of Defence on 3 June 2024.
In February, the UK and Latvia announced they would lead the new Drone Capability Coalition, designed to rapidly supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of first-person view drones.
On 3 June, both countries opened the bidding for companies to supply FPV drones to Ukraine, on behalf of the Drone Capability Coalition. This competition aims to produce these drones at scale and at an affordable price point, leveraging the strength of Western industry.
Industry has been encouraged to find the details of how to apply via the Defence Sourcing Portal, according to the UK MOD.
“This competition is open to industry from any nation in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
“First-person view drones have proven highly effective on the battlefield since Russia’s full-scale invasion, providing Ukrainian operators with situational awareness to target enemy positions, armoured vehicles, and ships with explosive ordnance.”
Companies have until 28 June 2024 to submit their proposals, which will then be considered by the Drone Capability Coalition members and evaluated. Successful companies will receive orders to supply drones to Ukraine and, upon receipt of positive operational feedback, the intent is to place larger, follow-up orders for FPV drones. Additional FPV competitions are expected to take place through 2024, building on the lessons learned from this first competition.
Members of the coalition include the UK, Latvia, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine. Further countries are considering joining the coalition.
