Airbus Defence and Space has formalized a cooperation agreement with Brave1, the Ukrainian government-led organiser for defence technology, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. The pact represents Brave1’s first industrial strategic partnership with a Western company.
Under the terms of the MoU, the two organisations will set up joint task forces charged with advancing technological projects across their life cycle - from initial scientific inquiry to the modernization of equipment already in service. Airbus Defence and Space will make its technologies available for use within Brave1’s so-called "Test in Ukraine" framework, which facilitates frontline trials and allows operational performance data to be routed back into subsequent development and refinement.
Brave1 functions as a shared innovation platform that links Ukraine’s ministries, its military establishments, and private technology firms with the aim of speeding battlefield technologies through the stages that take them from concept to deployment. As part of the collaboration, Airbus will also take on a partnership role at the Defence Tech Valley summit in Lviv.
Iryna Zabolotna, chief operating officer of Brave1, framed the agreement as part of a broader shift in the organisation’s work. "As Brave1 celebrates three years of building Ukraine’s defence tech ecosystem, our mission is expanding from launching startups to forging global industrial alliances under our new 'Brave Prime' initiative," she said. "In Ukraine, research and development cycles are measured not in months or years, but in days. Partnering with a global leader like Airbus allows us to combine their decades of deep aerospace expertise with our agile, combat-tested R&D approach. Together, we are building faster, more resilient defence solutions for the future of European security."
From Airbus’s side, Jo Mueller, a member of the Executive Committee of Airbus Defence and Space, said the company is committed to supporting partners with its experience in defence aerospace while gaining from the experience of Ukrainian innovators.
The arrangement sets a structure for collaborative development and operational evaluation that links industrial capabilities with real-world field testing. The established feedback loop - operational performance data feeding back into development - is a central element of the agreement and of Brave1’s Test in Ukraine framework.
Details such as specific projects, timelines, the composition of the task forces, and the exact technical systems to be deployed were not specified in the announced MoU.
Key points
- The MoU establishes joint task forces to move technologies from research through to modernization of in-service equipment.
- Airbus technologies will be integrated into Brave1’s Test in Ukraine framework to enable frontline testing and operational feedback loops.
- The partnership includes Airbus’s role as a partner of the Defence Tech Valley summit in Lviv; sectors affected include defence, aerospace, and defence technology markets.
Risks and uncertainties
- The MoU does not disclose specific projects, schedules, or task force composition, leaving outcomes and timelines uncertain - this uncertainty affects defence procurement and technology deployment.
- Operational testing at the frontline is part of the agreement; the results and their implications for development and integration are inherently uncertain until field evaluations are completed - this impacts defence technology development cycles.