Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are preparing for joint procurement of drones and related technologies. The agreement was signed in Helsinki yesterday.
“Drones have become a decisive factor in modern warfare. This is an important Nordic initiative to enhance the security of the Nordic countries and allied territories. All the Nordic nations share common interests in drone development, making it natural to cooperate within a Nordic framework,” said Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik.
The purpose of the agreement is to increase the countries’ operational defence capacity and strategic flexibility through enhanced defence cooperation on unmanned aerial systems (UAS/drones) and related technologies — particularly through collaboration across all stages of drone development.
“The cooperation covers areas such as research and development, standardisation, training and knowledge exchange, potential joint procurements, logistics, and support for Ukraine,” Sandvik added.
The agreement, signed at the administrative level, is a technical arrangement governing cooperation on drones. It is based on the NORDEFCO Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2009 and other existing defence cooperation agreements.
As separate procurement initiatives, the four countries will also launch a joint Nordic acquisition of micro-drones under the framework of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) partnership, as well as a Nordic acquisition of mini-drones within the Danish Ministry of Defence’s framework agreements.
In Norway’s Long-Term Defence Plan, funding has been allocated for long-range maritime surveillance drones, drones for land forces, tactical drones for the Intelligence Regiment, and drones for the Home Guard’s rapid reaction forces. The Ministry of Defence is also developing a national drone strategy, which will be launched soon.
(Photo by: Synne Kvam, Ministry of Defence Norway / Forsvarsdepartementet)