The Czech government officially joined the Drone Coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom.

The Czech Ministry of Defense reported on this.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on July 11 during the 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

The accession of the Czech Republic brought the total number of members of this coalition to sixteen.

“I am very pleased to welcome the Czech Republic to the Drone Coalition, which is helping Ukraine fight back against Russian invasion. Each member state of the Coalition can make a significant contribution to Ukraine’s efforts, as well as support the development of its national industry,” Andris Sprūds, Czech Minister of Defense, stated.

During the existence of this coalition, the member countries have already allocated certain financial packages to help Ukraine purchase the necessary unmanned systems that are so needed on the front line.

To date, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, and other countries that form the coalition with Latvia have joined the coalition.

As of June 2024, the Drone Coalition has raised €549 million for unmanned aerial vehicles for Ukraine.

The lead states of the coalition, the United Kingdom and Lithuania, are calling on other countries to join in order to enable massive procurement of drones.

Separately, participating countries can receive small investments for their own development of this area at local enterprises.

Militarnyi previously reported that the UK and Latvia opened the bidding for companies to supply FPV drones to Ukraine on behalf of the Drone Capability Coalition for Ukraine.

The bidding will select manufacturers that can supply drones on a large scale and at an affordable price, using the advantages of Western industry.