Drone production in Romania: Ukraine and Bucharest explore joint manufacturing

It starts with a strategic partnership, the first of its kind: since it was signed, the neighbouring countries Romania and Ukraine could launch joint drone production. Representatives of 16 Ukrainian drone manufacturers therefore recently travelled to Bucharest. There they discussed joint drone production with Romanian authorities and top representatives of Romanian business.

According to Romanian media, representatives of Ukrainian companies have already met several times with the Romanian Ministry of Defence and its armaments department.

The initiative came from the Ukrainian side; Romania did not press hard for joint production, Romanian experts stress. From Bucharest's perspective, however, there were weighty reasons to agree: the lessons of the war in Ukraine, the role of drones as a cutting-edge weapon of modern warfare and the country's strategic position in Eastern Europe.

As a result of the first negotiations, Romania expects companies from both countries to build plants for drone production and assembly on Romanian territory. The focus is on economic opportunities – another important factor for Bucharest.

Which Romanian and Ukrainian companies are taking part in the negotiations has not yet been made public. Romanian media expect both state-owned and private firms to join the partnership.

The Romanian government will be directly involved in the project, according to Defence Minister Radu Miruța. It intends to provide around 200 million euros granted by the European Union as a loan under the SAFE programme.

According to unconfirmed sources cited by G4media.ro, the Romanian companies that took part in talks with Ukrainian delegations include:

• Aerostar
• Autonomous Flight Technology
• AVI Aircraft
• Blue Space Technology
• Carfil
• the Centre for Radiocommunications Services
• IAR Ghimbav
• Interactive Software
• Optoelectronica 2001
• Orbotix Industries
• OVES Enterprise
• Pro Optica
• Qognifly Systems
• Romaero
• ROMARM
• Starc4Sys

Roadmap for drone production in the partnership agreement

The Romanian-Ukrainian strategic partnership was signed last month during a visit to Romania by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; it was signed together with his Romanian counterpart Nicușor Dan. Since establishing bilateral relations, the two countries have concluded no comparable agreement.

It governs relations in foreign policy, economic exchange and the joint development of defence capabilities. The roadmap for joint drone manufacturing mentioned at the outset is also part of the agreement.