Scaling the Battlefield: NATO and Ukraine Launch UNITE – Brave NATO to Fast-Track Defense Tech
The partnership is launching with an initial EUR 10 million in joint grants, funded equally by NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) and the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation.
RMN Digital Investment Desk
New Delhi | December 21, 2025
KYIV — NATO and Ukraine have officially entered a new era of engineering collaboration with the launch of the Ukraine-NATO Innovation, Technology and Engineering (UNITE) – Brave NATO program. Announced in November, this initiative represents the first joint effort between the Alliance and Ukraine focused specifically on scaling prototyped technologies to meet rigorous interoperability standards.
A New Hub for Defense Engineering
The UNITE – Brave NATO initiative is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory testing and battlefield deployment. Unlike traditional defense procurement, this program prioritizes the interoperability of innovative technologies, ensuring that systems developed in Ukraine can integrate seamlessly with NATO frameworks.
The program is being coordinated through Brave1, Ukraine’s defense tech cluster, and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), which will manage the initial execution phase. According to Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, the goal is to build a “technologically advanced defense architecture” that is resilient and adaptive.
Target Technologies and Initial Funding
The partnership is launching with an initial EUR 10 million in joint grants, funded equally by NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) and the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation.
The technical focus for the first competition is centered on three critical domains:
- Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS): Developing new methods to neutralize drone threats.
- Next-Gen Air Defense: Strengthening hardware and software for aerial protection.
- Secure Frontline Communications: Engineering robust, encrypted channels for combat environments.
The Innovation Roadmap: 2026 and Beyond
Tech firms and engineering teams from NATO Allied nations and Ukraine can begin registering interest online, with joint bids due in February 2026. The winners will be unveiled in the spring of 2026 at the second NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum.
If the pilot phase successfully demonstrates the ability to scale these technologies, the partners intend to increase funding up to EUR 50 million for the remainder of 2026. Future technical priorities have already been identified, including:
- SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) systems.
- Unmanned ground systems.
- Navigation in contested electromagnetic environments, specifically focusing on maintaining accuracy during heavy electronic interference.
By focusing on real-time lessons from the frontline, the UNITE – Brave NATO program aims to accelerate the development of “cutting-edge defense technologies” while providing the Alliance with vital data on how these systems perform in active conflict.
Analogy for Understanding Interoperability: Think of defense interoperability like the global standard for USB-C charging. Just as a universal port allows different brands of phones, laptops, and headphones to use the same power cables and transfer data across different devices, the UNITE program ensures that diverse military technologies “plug and play” together across different nations’ defense systems.
