Norway’s Defence Materiel Agency has procured roughly 500,000 drones and transferred them to Ukraine as part of military support under the Nansen Programme. Agency director Gro Jære says most were purchased from Ukrainian manufacturers, with others sourced from Norwegian and international suppliers. The agency has not disclosed the models, explaining that procurement is guided by ongoing discussions with Ukrainian authorities about battlefield needs.
Air Force Academy researcher Lars Peder Haga says the scale suggests the shipments include small reconnaissance drones and inexpensive FPV attack drones, which Ukraine uses in very large numbers. Rather than treating these as long-lived aircraft, he says, they should be understood more like ammunition. Haga describes drones as the most consequential weapons along the front, estimating that FPV drones cause about 90 percent of personnel losses and have taken over much of the role artillery played until around 2024. He argues that 500,000 drones could therefore have a substantial battlefield effect. Jære adds that the assistance also benefits Norway by building knowledge and operational experience relevant to strengthening its own defence capabilities.
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