Ukrainian, French defense firms to receive $23 million in grants under Brave France initiative
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Ukrainian and French defense companies will receive 20 million euros ($23 million) to develop missiles, unmanned systems and counter-air technologies under the new Brave France initiative, Ukraine's Brave1 defense-tech platform announced on June 17.
The launch of Brave France comes as Ukraine pursues a growing number of defense partnerships with European allies aimed at scaling up weapons production.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in Paris by French Defence Innovation Agency (AID) Director Patrick Aufort and Brave1 Chief Operating Officer Iryna Zabolotna, and in the presence of French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin.
The program will be funded equally by both sides, with each contributing 10 million euros ($11.6 million), while the maximum size of a single grant will be 1 million euros ($1.2 million), according to the Brave1's statement.
The first call for grant applications from French and Ukrainian manufacturers is expected to take place in September 2026.
Under the initiative, Ukrainian and French companies will work on developing advanced defense technologies, including missile systems, unmanned platforms, and air defense solutions.
According to Brave1, technologies developed under the program will be tested through Ukraine's "Test in Ukraine" platform, allowing developers to evaluate systems under "real combat conditions."
"We are pleased that France is among the countries choosing to build the future of defense technologies together with Ukraine," the statement read.
Ukraine and Germany signed a similar agreement on May 11, launching the Brave Germany initiative, which aims to provide financial grants for German and Ukrainian defense research and development.
