Belgium's defense minister says drones are the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the 1300s
"I really believe that this is the future of warfare, like gunpowder was in the Hundred Years War, like an industrial revolution was in the First World War, and like nuclear capacity was in the Second World War," Theo Francken said, speaking at the Drone Summit 2025 in Riga, Latvia.
"Drone technology and drone warfare will be decisive in the Russian-Ukrainian war," he added. "And we need to jump on this train because otherwise we'll lose pretty much everything."
Earlier that day, Latvia's defense minister, Andris Sprūds, announced that Belgium and Turkey planned to join the 18-member Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed in 2024 to pool resources and expertise to produce drones for Ukraine's armed forces.
Drones have transformed the war in Ukraine, with Ukraine using cheap uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, for surveillance and attacks, offsetting Russia's large equipment and personnel advantage.
The country has also developed sophisticated long-range strike drones for attacks deep inside Russian territory, not to mention powerful sea drones.
Russia, for its part, has developed its own sophisticated drone warfare capabilities and has used drones to attack Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
Getting drones to Ukraine
The Drone Coalition for Ukraine, formed by the UK and Latvia, invested €1.8 billion, or about $2 billion, in producing drones for Ukraine in 2024, Latvian broadcaster LVM reported.
On Wednesday, Sprūds, the Latvian defense minister, said the drone coalition was on course to provide €2 billion of further funding for Ukraine's drones in 2025.
"Our aim remains to reinforce the supply of drones to Ukraine," he said, "So Ukraine maintains the battlefield superiority but also, of course, invest in Ukraine, so it also develops its own industry."
Ukraine's government has set the target of producing 4.5 million military drones in 2025.
Speaking at the summit, Luke Pollard, the UK's Minister for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, echoed Francken's comments about the impact of drones.
"The drone coalition exists because we all understand how drones have shifted the tectonic plates of warfare," he said.
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