Netherlands to allocate €400 million for drones for Ukraine

The Netherlands announced that it would allocate €400 million for reconnaissance, attack and other drones for Ukraine.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans wrote about this on X (ex-Twitter) following the results of his visit to Ukraine.

It was announced that almost half of them would be developed in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands allocates funds under its own drone action plan for Ukraine and works with Ukraine to develop advanced drones and accelerate the production of successful prototypes.

“The Netherlands has previously played a pioneering role in the supply of F-16s and Patriot systems, and we are now continuing this with advanced drones by investing €400 million in a drone action plan. This covers all types of advanced drones that can be used for reconnaissance, defense and attack. Especially in the air, but also on the ground and at sea,” Ruben Brekelmans was quoted as saying in a press release of the Dutch Ministry of Defense.

According to Brekelmans, the experience gained in Ukraine also has added value for high-quality technology in the Netherlands:

“If Dutch knowledge and technology is combined with the Ukrainian experience on the battlefield, it will lead to innovative and effective drones. They can really make a difference on the rapidly changing battlefield.”

If the drones developed are successful, more money will be available to expand their production.

Given the importance of drones in modern warfare, the minister is making this a priority.

“The development of various drones is very fast. We don’t have the luxury of delay, it all depends on the speed. Buy prototypes, test quickly, and scale up production quickly.”

The announcement of the drone package was preceded by a statement of intent to support the Ukrainian arms manufacturers between the heads of defense ministries, including former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Kajsa Ollongren was the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands from January 2022 till July 2024), who signed an agreement in June.

This is all happening within the framework of the Drone Coalition with the international partners, which, in addition to the Netherlands, includes such countries as Latvia, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and Sweden. Other countries may join the initiative.