Airbus Defence and Space has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brave1, Ukraine’s central, government-led defense technology coordinator, establishing what Airbus says is Brave1’s first major industrial strategic partnership with a Western company.

The agreement creates joint task forces aimed at moving defense technology projects faster—from early research to modernizing active equipment. Airbus Defence and Space technologies are set to be integrated into Brave1’s “Test in Ukraine” framework, which is designed to enable live frontline co-testing and joint evaluation, with operational performance data fed back into the development cycle to meet urgent security needs.

Airbus also said it will support Brave1’s defense innovation ecosystem through participation as a key partner of the Defence Tech Valley summit in Lviv, a major European defense technology event.

Brave1 describes its mission as compressing R&D timelines so ideas can move from concept to combat deployment quickly, while Airbus frames the partnership as contributing to Europe’s broader collective security.

Airbus and Brave1 announced the partnership in Kyiv on July 1, 2026.