Norway to manufacture surface drones in Ukraine

Norway intends to develop and manufacture uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) in Ukraine.

The Norwegian Defence Ministry wrote on X that Norway has allocated about 6.7 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately €580 million) to support the maritime coalition it leads jointly with the United Kingdom.

"Parts of this funding will be used to develop and produce uncrewed maritime vessels using KDA technology, with production based in Ukraine," Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik said.

It is also reported that the Norwegian defence company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) has already signed an agreement with a Ukrainian partner on the joint development and manufacture of surface drones in Ukraine using Norwegian technology and expertise.

The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik to discuss investments in the production of Ukrainian weapons, in particular drones and long-range missiles, as well as the scaling up of joint defence production.

Norway and Ukraine are jointly training drone operators in Trøndelag as part of Operation Gungne. 

Since April 2025, Norway has officially joined the drone coalition for Ukraine.