Ukroboronprom Deepens International Defense Partnerships with Spain and U.S. Firms at DFNC3 Forum
Ukraine’s state-owned defense giant Ukroboronprom has signed new cooperation agreements with Spain’s Escribano and U.S. drone manufacturer LeVanta Tech at the DFNC3 forum, expanding partnerships in air defense, armored vehicles, and air-sea UAVs.
Kyiv — Ukraine’s state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom (formally JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry) has signed a series of new agreements with foreign partners aimed at expanding its defense production capacity and accelerating the modernization of its armed forces. The deals, finalized during the Third Defense Industries Forum (DFNC3) in Kyiv, include partnerships with Spain’s Escribano Mechanical & Engineering and U.S.-based LeVanta Tech Inc., as well as exploratory talks with Romania’s Romarm.
Ukroboronprom’s CEO Herman Smetanin announced the agreements, underscoring Ukraine’s strategic goal of building a robust domestic defense-industrial base while integrating advanced Western technologies.
“We are already cooperating with Escribano on modernizing armored vehicles with combat modules,” Smetanin said. “Today we formalized additional agreements — expanding into air defense and deepening collaboration in armored vehicle modernization.”
U.S. Partnership in Air-Sea Drone Development
In a separate deal, Ukroboronprom signed a memorandum with LeVanta Tech Inc., a U.S. company specializing in hybrid air-sea unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — known for their “float-and-fly” capabilities. The partnership will focus on joint development of advanced UAVs to enhance the speed, survivability, and operational resilience of Ukrainian-made systems.
Smetanin emphasized that Ukraine seeks not only foreign technology but also localized production and training to build long-term self-sufficiency:
“Our goal is to develop production within Ukraine’s borders, ensuring that our engineers and manufacturers can absorb new technologies and apply them independently.”
Regional Cooperation with Romania
The Ukrainian delegation also held talks with Romarm, Romania’s state-owned arms producer, discussing joint production of technical equipment and unmanned platforms. Both sides expressed interest in establishing co-investment mechanisms to support shared industrial projects and attract international financing.
Strategic Context
The new agreements reflect Ukraine’s intensified effort to diversify defense partnerships and co-produce key systems amid ongoing full-scale war with Russia. Since 2023, Kyiv has accelerated outreach to Western defense firms, offering co-production opportunities and tax incentives for foreign manufacturers willing to establish operations on Ukrainian soil.
The DFNC3 forum — hosted in Kyiv with participation from dozens of international defense companies — serves as a platform to align Ukraine’s wartime procurement needs with global industrial capacity. The latest partnerships signal Ukraine’s determination to shift from dependency on imports toward a hybrid model of local manufacturing and joint R&D.
As the war drives unprecedented demand for drones, air defense, and armored platforms, Ukraine’s defense sector is positioning itself as a future hub for NATO-compatible manufacturing and a testbed for next-generation battlefield technologies.
