Overview
- Ukrainian official Denys Shmyhal and Norway’s defense chief Tore Sandvik signed the agreement for joint production of Ukrainian-designed drones.
- Kyiv says the next step is a rapid pilot production line in 2026 with plans to expand capacity thereafter.
- Ukraine provides experience and innovations as Norway supplies a production base plus research ties with leading institutions.
- In parallel, Ukraine and the U.K. signed a licensing deal for the Octopus interceptor drone and are discussing output of 2,000 interceptors per month alongside funding for thousands of long-range attack drones.
- Norway’s backing builds on prior commitments including 6.7 billion kroner for a U.K.-led maritime coalition and plans to allocate about $7 billion next year for Ukraine’s defense sector.