• Ukraine is stepping up international cooperation in defense manufacturing to maximize production, drive innovation, and protect critical industrial infrastructure from Russian strikes.
  • Kyiv launched the “Test in Ukraine” platform to allow international defense companies to learn from Ukrainian innovation and test their new weapons and technologies in real combat conditions.
  • Ukrainian companies have also scaled up production and created numerous new prototypes of weapon systems and cruise missiles. Their effectiveness, however, will depend on Ukraine’s ability to mass-produce them and Western assistance in sourcing components.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that Ukrainian defense company Fire Point will begin a production line in Denmark. Fire Point specializes in the production of long-range strike drones and cruise missiles.

Ukraine’s experience and innovations have attracted the interest of an increasing number of partners. For example, Gaël Veyssière, the French ambassador to Ukraine, expressed France’s willingness to involve French defense and automotive companies in joint production with their Ukrainian counterparts. A project for the joint manufacture of drones is already in the works … On September 3, at the International Defense Industry Exhibition in Poland, Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taiwanese and Polish delegations, focusing on drone production (Taiwan News, September 3). Additionally, Yuliia Fediv, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Philippines, announced that the two countries are working toward signing an MOU on defense cooperation by October. A high-level Ukrainian delegation, including officials from the Ministry of Defense, is expected to visit Manila to discuss the draft agreement and the possibility of jointly producing Ukrainian-style drones, specifically uncrewed surface vessels.

The Ukrainian government is seeing increased success in developing its defense industry, particularly through international cooperation in the forms of investments, relocation of production, and the creation of joint companies. Despite bureaucratic, financial, and security obstacles, the Ukrainian defense sector is showing rather positive dynamics and becoming more attractive to international partners … For the Ukrainian military, this may soon mean that missile and drone production catches up with Russian production. For Kyiv’s international partners, the current environment gives them a chance to gain access to cutting-edge expertise and technologies, as well as to test their own products in real combat conditions.