Belgium’s Thales signs memorandum of defense cooperation with Ukraine

Ukraine's defense industry is set to receive technology transfer and components for missile production through a new partnership with Belgium's Thales.

Nov 2, 2024 - 20:00

Belgium’s Thales signs memorandum of defense cooperation with Ukraine

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Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin announced that Belgian company Thales has signed a memorandum of cooperation with a Ukrainian defense enterprise to produce anti-drone missiles jointly.

Ukraine works to expand its domestic military production capabilities to counter Russian aggression more effectively. Major defense partnerships have already been established, including agreements with German Rheinmetall for armored vehicle production, British BAE Systems for artillery systems, Swedish Saab for anti-tank weapons, and American Lockheed Martin for various defense technologies.

These partnerships aim to establish joint production facilities within Ukraine, helping meet immediate defense needs and develop long-term domestic manufacturing capacity.

According to Smetanin, this agreement envisions the joint production of missiles to counter Russian UAVs.

“We also expect this cooperation to expand further – to include technology transfer and components for these missiles,” Smetanin said.

According to the minister’s statement, the partnership with the Belgian company will strengthen Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex and enhance critical infrastructure protection against Russian drones.

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