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Kyiv and Paris Launch Brave France Fund for Missiles, Drones and Air Defense Tech
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine and France have launched Brave France, a new €20 million joint grant program aimed at developing missiles, unmanned systems, and technologies to counter aerial threats, Brave1 announced on June 17.
The agreement was signed during the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in Paris by Patrick Aufort, Director of France’s Defense Innovation Agency, and Iryna Zabolotna, Chief Operating Officer of Ukraine’s Brave1 defense cluster. French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin also attended the signing.
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The initiative will be implemented through Brave1, the government-backed defense technology cluster that supports the development and testing of military innovations.
The total budget of the program is more than $23 million, with Ukraine and France each contributing $11.6 million.
Proud to coordinate the Brave France initiative from the Ukrainian side!
— BRAVE1 (@BRAVE1ua) June 15, 2026
We are combining forces with the @Agence_ID to co-fund and co-develop next generation defense tech, utilizing a joint €20M budget.
Innovations identified within the project will be tested through our… https://t.co/qtM7UNrE5T
Under Brave France, Ukrainian and French defense companies will be able to receive grants of up to €1 million to develop new defense technologies.
The first Brave France project competition is scheduled for September 2026. The main focus areas will include missile technologies, unmanned systems, and modern tools for countering aerial threats.
The agreement moves the partnership into an operational phase after Ukraine and France first announced their intention to cooperate in February 2026.
Testing of new systems will be conducted through the Test in Ukraine platform, with verification under real combat conditions.
The two sides are currently forming a joint Executive Board for the program and finalizing priority areas and expert commissions.
Brave1 said it is proud of the partnership and ready to begin work, adding that France is among the countries choosing to build the future of defense technology together with Ukraine.
The program reflects a growing trend in European defense cooperation with Ukraine: instead of only supplying weapons, partners are increasingly investing in joint development, battlefield testing, and production models shaped by Ukraine’s combat experience.
Ukraine already launched a similar program, Brave Germany. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have signed a letter of intent to launch Brave Germany, a joint Ukrainian-German initiative aimed at advancing defense technologies and supporting innovative military startups.
The two countries agreed to launch the first competition phase of the program by the end of 2026.
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