Ukraine's Efforts to Produce Weapons in the EU Gain Momentum, but Slowly

On February 13, 2026, at the Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI) production site near Munich, Germany, Ukrainian and German flags waved proudly. This moment marked a significant milestone as Ukraine received its first batch of 10,000 small drone-bombers manufactured in Germany through a joint venture with the German company Quantum Systems. The delivery was made to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on April 1.

This event represents the first public shipment of weaponry to Ukraine under a series of agreements within the 'Build with Ukraine' initiative, a program launched by the Ukrainian government aimed at establishing joint production lines for Ukrainian weapons in partner European countries, announced last summer.

The initiative promised to create a streamlined process for integrating Ukrainian and European drone industries, which Ukraine views as a cornerstone of its security and economy in the post-war period. However, despite numerous changes in the Ukrainian government over the past year, the 'Build with Ukraine' program has yet to acquire a clear structure. The demand for Ukrainian drones is rising, as the war in Iran has underscored the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles and the unreliability of the United States as a guarantor of European security.

Ukrainian companies, their European partners, and EU countries eager to establish local drone industries involving Ukrainian engineers are actively working on securing agreements. 'We are trying to resolve this issue, but currently, there is no clear roadmap,' noted one Ukrainian interceptor manufacturer, who wished to remain anonymous due to concerns over jeopardizing production negotiations in the EU. According to him, the main obstacle is obtaining permission from the Ukrainian government to relocate production to the EU.

The Frontline-Quantum joint venture offers the clearest guidance to date on how to navigate the complex regulatory system for drone manufacturers seeking to enter the international market. This partnership became possible partly because Quantum was already deeply integrated into Ukraine. It was one of the first Western companies to open permanent offices in Ukraine at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The company subsequently built the first factory of any Western drone manufacturing company in Ukraine, starting with a research and development center announced in December 2023 and expanding production in April 2024.

'You need a reliable partner with whom you've spent enough time,' said Mykyta Rozhkov, head of business development at Frontline Robotics, in an interview with the Kyiv Independent. The financial relationship between the two companies officially began with Quantum's investment of $800,000 in Frontline in July of last year. Following that, they established a joint venture with support and funding from the German Ministry of Defense. Current production in Germany relies on the procurement of key components from Ukraine, Rozhkov noted, funding not only Frontline Robotics but also Ukrainian component manufacturers for drones.

'Export liberalization is a great opportunity for Ukraine's defense industry to take its place in the global defense industrial complex,' he added. President Volodymyr Zelensky and then-Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin initially announced the legal framework for the 'Build with Ukraine' initiative in early July.

While details were limited, the intention was to expand European funding for Ukrainian weapons manufacturers and increase Ukraine's presence in the European defense market. Critically, this framework provided Ukrainian manufacturers with shelter at a time when Russia was hunting them down.

'The situation escalated in the spring and summer of 2025,' Rozhkov noted. 'There was an active campaign of strikes against industry and industrial facilities. A strike occurred near one of our facilities.' Frontline approached Quantum Systems with the idea of building in Germany in August of that year, Rozhkov explained.

The 'Build with Ukraine' initiative also promised eventual access to foreign markets, despite stringent — albeit officially unacknowledged — export restrictions on weapons leaving Ukraine. 'Export liberalization is a great opportunity for Ukraine's defense industry to take its place in the global defense industrial complex,' Rozhkov reiterated. 'We are trying to make the process more transparent so that other companies can understand how to act.'

This is important not only for Frontline. Many Ukrainian defense companies still rely on a single market, a single customer, and a single military budget cycle, noted Daria Yariyeva, president of the Ukrainian startup incubator Defense Builder, in a statement to the Kyiv Independent. Companies are seeking European funding to produce more drones, initially for shipment to Ukraine, but ultimately to establish long-term international businesses.

More than 10 Ukrainian companies have announced agreements or memorandums of cooperation with companies in the EU or the United Kingdom. Several of these agreements, including the one between Frontline and Quantum, were made public at the Munich Security Conference in early February. A senior Ukrainian official with knowledge of the matter told the Kyiv Independent that another round of such announcements is expected by the end of April.

'The first agreement is already operational. Others are still in progress,' they noted. However, the first shipment occurred nine months after the signing of the first 'Build with Ukraine' agreement. Rozhkov declined to specify the number of drones but indicated that it is 'a three-digit number.' Ukrainian drone manufacturers are known for their speed in organizing production in Ukraine and relocating it to new sites when necessary.