HELSINKI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have agreed to jointly procure unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related technologies, the Finnish Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
The Technical Arrangement and related Implementation Agreements were signed by the four countries' armaments directors in Helsinki, according to the ministry.
Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Hakkanen said that the rapid development of drone technologies and the constant need for updates make Nordic cooperation both practical and cost-effective. "Increasing the volume of joint procurements allows the industry to expand production capacity and helps reduce national procurement costs," he said.
In addition to procurement, the four countries plan to deepen cooperation in research and development, training, and information exchange.
The ministry said the countries will also launch joint procurement projects for micro-sized drones and for mini-sized drones. ■