The drone industry sends a clear message

Against this backdrop, participants discussed key challenges at the operational level regarding the establishment and expansion of scalable production capacities in Europe. The focus was on the question of what framework conditions must be created to enable companies to significantly expand their manufacturing while simultaneously securing technological sovereignty. This was discussed with a shared target of production capacities for drones and drone defense systems of more than 100,000 units per year by 2027.

A key focus of the discussions was on strengthening European supply chains while reducing dependencies on international suppliers and increasing the industry’s resilience. Secure active components—such as processors, power electronics, antennas, and transmission technology, as well as sensors like cameras—play a particularly important role in this context. They are a central prerequisite for trustworthy and robust drone systems.

Following this, the participating companies signed a joint memorandum of understanding to collaborate on defining the framework conditions for achieving the common target.

The European industry association UAV DACH will coordinate the companies and prepare a coordinated report on the necessary measures. This report is intended to outline the steps required to achieve the production targets and the policy framework conditions needed to do so. The results will be submitted to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Defense by January 2027.

It is already becoming clear that reliable procurement decisions play a central role. Clear and predictable orders are considered a key driver for building and securing industrial capacity in the long term.

XPONENTIAL Europe 2026