UAVs for Ukraine: Europe is willing to spend
In February 2023, Germany selected Helsing to produce 6,000 additional strike drones for Ukraine. (Photo: Helsing)
Despite President Donald Trump’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine, Shephard Defence Insight data suggests that in relation to UAVs, Europe and its non-US NATO allies are more than willing to fill any spending vacuum and are already contributing more than twice as much as the US.
The US is suspending military aid to Ukraine, days after President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disagreement at the White House.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the US has allocated an estimated $1 billion for the acquisition of UAVs destined for Ukraine.
Europe and other NATO allies, such as Canada and Australia, may be required to fill this UAV vacuum, with the UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer calling for a “coalition of the willing” during a meeting of 18 world leaders on Sunday.
According to data from Shephard Defence Insight, however, the so-called collation of
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype]()
India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype
India’s stealth fighter ambitions gain fresh momentum as HAL opens the door to private sector involvement in AMCA Mk1A structural assembly, with strategic support growing for next-gen propulsion and sensor technologies.
-
![BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027]()
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
![Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights]()
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.
