Ukraine conflict: Latvia sends 500 UAVs to Ukraine, more to follow

Latvia is sending over 2,500 UAVs to Ukraine as part of the Drone Coalition over the coming months, with 500 sent in July and another batch soon to follow. (Andris Spruds, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia)

Latvia sent 500 domestically produced combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine in July, a spokesperson from the Latvian Ministry of Defence confirmed to Janes , with another batch soon to follow.

In total, Latvia will send “2,500 combat drones of different types and performance, worth EUR4 million (USD4.4 million) in the coming months”, although specific details of the companies providing the systems and the delivery timeframes could not be specified for security reasons, the spokesperson said.

Countries of the “Drone Coalition have already made major contribution[s] to Ukraine's army by supplying the drones. Latvia allocated EUR20 million for [the] Drone Coalition this year. Manufacturers and army experts can also test their drones in Latvia and thus work on drone technology upgrades uninterruptedly”, the spokesperson concluded.

Testing of the UAVs in Latvia is being undertaken at a dedicated testing site at its Selonia Military Training Area.

The Drone Coalition, led by the UK and Latvia, was formally established in February 2024 with an overarching aim of delivering one million first-person view (FPV) UAVs to Ukraine. Other members include Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine.

One of the coalition's main efforts involves a competition, launched by the UK, to develop and procure FPV UAVs for Ukraine. Over 260 bids from industry have been received, with contracts expected to be announced in August.

For more information on the Drone Coalition, please see