Finnish Patria and Ukrainian IRON Cluster Sign Agreement to Strengthen Defense Industry

The eALLIANCE program, led by Finnish company Patria, will cooperate with the Ukrainian defense cluster IRON and Double Tap Investments.

Yuriy Lomikovsky, co-founder of the IRON defense technology cluster, shared with Militarnyi that the memorandum aims to bring Ukrainian and Finnish defense systems closer together.

eALLIANCE is a Finnish corporate cooperation program. Within its framework, Patria leads activities in research, development, and innovation.

The program aims to develop new innovative technologies and solutions in the defense and security sector, as well as to support Finnish companies entering international defense markets.

“As part of our cooperation, we have already traveled to Finland three times: we brought our manufacturers and organized meetings,” Lomikovsky said.

In particular, meetings were held with representatives of Finland’s Parliament, during which cooperation was discussed.
“Finland can transfer various technologies to us. One of them is, for example, experience in building underground structures for defense manufacturers,” Lomikovsky said.

The cluster representatives also added that Finnish companies show significant interest in Ukrainian manufacturers of drone components.

The signed agreement formalizes cooperation, including information exchange, joint testing, and planning of joint projects.

IRON is a defense technology cluster that brings together more than 200 companies and startups into a single ecosystem.

IRON participants develop technological solutions in robotics, electronics, radio communications, and unmanned systems.

Double Tap Investments is a Finnish-Ukrainian defense investment company founded in 2023 to accelerate battlefield innovations.

DTI invests capital and provides advisory support to Ukrainian defense technology startups.

“This cooperation reflects a long-term commitment to stimulate innovation and strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine and Finland. Both the Finnish government and the European Union have encouraged the expansion of industrial cooperation with the Ukrainian defense sector. The partnership, initiated and formalized under the leadership of Patria, creates conditions for the development of cooperation between eALLIANCE participants and innovative Ukrainian companies within the IRON cluster and the DTI portfolio,” said Kari Renko, Executive Vice President for Strategic Programs of Patria.

The cooperation further strengthens the defense capabilities of Ukraine and Finland and opens opportunities for new business prospects.