Norway-Ukraine agreement aims to bring armed robots onto the battlefield
on Google
The Norwegian defense company Kongsberg and Ukraine's DevDroid announced on June 30 a collaboration to produce ground drones equipped with state-of-the-art weapons systems, aiming to supply Ukraine and other European countries.
A memorandum of understanding between the two companies was signed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland, one of some 160 agreements, valued at over $10 billion.
"I think it's a good match, and it is one example of how we can join forces with other countries, with Ukrainian industry, to create perhaps something unique," Kongsberg CEO Eirik Lie told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on June 29.
The plan, Lie explained, is to couple DevDroid's extensive experience in developing unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with Kongberg's range of weapons systems, integrating the latter into the former to hopefully improve Ukraine's position on the battlefield.
DevDroid's CEO, Yurii Poritskyi, welcomed the partnership, saying "it creates opportunities to scale its (DevDroid's) experience and develop new robotic systems."
"For us, this partnership is not only about technology but also about creating a new model of international defense cooperation, where Ukrainian innovations become part of the global security ecosystem," Poritskyi said in a press release announcing the new cooperation.
The announcement is not Kongsberg's first foray into Ukraine. In 2025, the company discussed integrating Ukrainian-made air defense solutions into its NASAMS system with then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Denys Shtilierman, co-founder of Ukraine's missile manufacturer, Fire Point, said in May that the company's new Freya interceptor missile will be integrated into Kongsberg's open FDC combat control center.
