At the Eurosatory 2024 international defense industry exhibition in Paris, Ukrainian companies signed six agreements with French arms manufacturers, according to a statement by Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin published on 20 June.
According to the minister, the companies from the Ukroboronprom defense conglomerate inked five agreements, while a private Ukrainian drone developer signed the sixths:
- The first agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding with the French company Thales, outlines the establishment of a joint venture in Ukraine for the repair and modernization of equipment related to electronic warfare, communications, air defense systems, and radars.
- A second agreement with Thales involves the creation of a service center in Ukraine dedicated to the maintenance and testing of electronic warfare systems and radars.
- The third agreement regulates cooperation with the French drone manufacturer Hexadrone for the joint production of an unmanned aerial vehicle complex.
- The fourth agreement is a cooperation deal with Exail for the installation and testing of their navigation systems on Ukrainian-produced radars.
- The fifth agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding with the French defense company Arquus, pertains to the maintenance and modernization of armored vehicles.
- Additionally, the French association GICAT signed a cooperation memorandum with the “Technological Forces of Ukraine” association, and a private Ukrainian drone developer agreed to collaborate with Thales on the joint development of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Kamyshin wrote:
“The Ukrainian and European defense industries have a lot to share with each other. We look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation that will enhance the defense capabilities of not only Ukraine, but also the entire European Union, of which we will eventually become a part.”
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- Minister: Ukraine has “over five” mass-produced analogs of Russia’s Iranian-made Shahed explosive drones
- Ukroboronprom: Ukraine’s “kamikaze” drones with 1,000 km combat radius in mass production
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