Latvia has sent a new batch of strike drones to Ukraine as part of the International Drone Coalition.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds announced this.

He shared that 500 Latvian-made strike drones are on their way.

This is likely the first batch of 12,000 drones that the Minister recently announced would be delivered to Ukraine.

According to Sprūds, all drones are to be delivered in the first half of 2025. Two Latvian companies will produce them in the coming months for €17 million.

Latvia and the United Kingdom lead the International Drone Coalition. It was formed in February 2024. It currently includes 17 countries, with Norway recently joining.

As part of this initiative, the UK has established an international procurement fund, which Latvia has contributed €5 million to.

The member states have already promised to provide Ukraine with almost €2 billion for drones. Coalition countries have supplied or will soon supply the Ukrainian military with about 100,000 different strike drones. First of all, this refers to FPV drones.

In the first announced international tender, the coalition selected five companies out of over 260 European manufacturers to supply 30,000 drones worth €45 million. Two Latvian manufacturers also received orders.

Last year, according to Minister Sprūds, about 5,000 different Latvian-made drones worth €15 million were transferred to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

This year, Latvia plans to allocate €20 million to purchase drones for the Ukrainian military.

The Latvian government plans to provide the Ukrainian Defense Forces with 42 new Patria 6×6 armored personnel carriers.