A drone manufacturing plant to be built in Finland in partnership with Ukraine

Finnish defense company Summa Defense Ltd will build a plant to produce unmanned systems in partnership with Ukrainian companies.

The joint venture is expected to meet the needs of Ukraine, the European Union, and NATO.

In addition to airborne drones, ground and sea drones are also planned to be produced.

It is noted that the main goal of the new enterprise is to increase the production capacity of drones used in the war in Ukraine, as well as to launch their mass production in Finland and Europe.

Mass production of drones is scheduled for the first half of 2025.

Summa Defense Ltd will set up a subsidiary, Summa Drones Ltd, to establish a drone manufacturing plant in Finland.

Summa Drones will then set up a joint venture in Finland with its Ukrainian partners, in which the Finnish company will have a controlling stake. The establishment of the company is considered a strategic investment.

Kort, Elf Systems, Skyassist, and MPS Development represent the Ukrainian side of the project.

“Drones have already proved their strategic importance in Ukraine, playing a key role in protecting critical infrastructure and in rescue operations. The new production facility will increase the supply chain’s resilience,” Jussi Holopainen, CEO of Summa Defense Ltd, stated.

In October, the Nordic countries also confirmed their readiness to finance the purchase of weapons for the Defense Forces from Ukrainian manufacturers based on the Danish model.

According to Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, in particular, confirmed their readiness.

In September, Militarnyi reported that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and President of Finland Alexander Stubb discussed joint production of drones during a meeting in New York.