Croatia Ready to Take a Leading Role in EU Drone Production

Croatia's Defense Minister Ivan Anuszić believes that his country can become a leader in the European Union in producing small combat drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles of this type have proven to be very effective weapons during the war in Ukraine.

“Given the capacities and capabilities of our domestic defence industry, Croatia could play a key role in the joint procurement and production of small drones within Europe,”

said Anuszić after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) Steering Board in Brussels, Belgium.

Anuszić stated that the current capacities of the Croatian defense industry for producing such drones reach 500,000 units annually. With support from the European Union, this production could be increased.

“Croatian companies could produce up to 500,000 small drones annually, starting as early as this year. If given the opportunity to lead this segment, that number could even grow,”

Anuszić added.

Croatia, like many other European countries, has significantly changed its approach to defense, production, and procurement of weapons. It has already reached the level of 2 percent of GDP in defense spending, and according to plans, by 2030 it will allocate 3 percent of GDP for this purpose.

Source: msn