The Netherlands has committed €110 million to support co-production of long-range strike drones with Ukrainian industry under the Build with Ukraine initiative — a program that invites Ukrainian defense firms to set up production inside NATO states. The objective is twofold: to protect essential production from direct attack on Ukrainian soil and to speed up integration of Ukrainian platforms with Western supply chains, standards, and logistics. By hosting manufacturing in partner countries, the initiative reduces operational vulnerabilities and ensures continuity of production in a war environment. The Dutch funding is directed toward establishing collaborative production lines and industrial partnerships that will deliver deep-strike unmanned systems — drones capable of precision strikes at long distances. Such capabilities expand Ukraine’s reach against high-value targets while allowing forces to operate from beyond the most contested airspace. As a companion to production relocation, the initiative also emphasizes technology transfer and quality control, ensuring that systems built under the scheme meet NATO compatibility and safety standards. A concrete example of Build with Ukraine’s industrial realignment is Fire Point, a Ukrainian firm now producing solid rocket propellant in Denmark for its Flamingo long-range cruise missile. Moving energetic materials and propellant manufacture to allied countries mitigates the risk of production disruptions from strikes and enables Ukrainian firms to meet stricter Western manufacturing and regulatory regimes — an important step if Kyiv aims to scale output or integrate with allied logistics for sustained operations. The program promises benefits on both sides: host nations gain industrial activity and skilled jobs while Ukraine secures protected production capacity and strengthened ties with Western defense industry partners. The Dutch investment reflects a pragmatic approach to wartime industrial support: rather than simply shipping equipment into theater, Build with Ukraine creates durable, geographically distributed manufacturing that aligns wartime resilience with peacetime interoperability and future export potential.
