Airbus Defence and Space and Ukrainian drone manufacturer SkyFall have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin, formalising a strategic partnership aimed at advancing multi-layered air defence across Europe. The signing was witnessed by German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius.
The partnership combines Airbus’s systems integration and C2 expertise — particularly in integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) — with SkyFall’s battle-tested unmanned aerial systems. This was reported by Airbus’s press office. SkyFall interceptors have logged over 10,000 confirmed drone kills against Russian UAS in live combat operations, providing a real-world validation dataset that few Western platforms can match.
Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn framed the agreement as a direct response to the growing threat of affordable saturation attacks. Speaking at the signing, he emphasised the need to bridge the gap between traditional defence procurement cycles and the rapid-iteration model that has defined Ukrainian warfighting. The alliance, he said, is designed to deliver that capability at the speed of the modern battlefield.
SkyFall CEO Mykola Makovieiev said the company is now focused on translating its combat-proven interceptor technology into the next generation of layered air shield architecture — covering both Ukrainian airspace and the broader European theatre.
The initiative is aligned with the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) and is intended to bring Ukrainian defence solutions into the European market, reinforcing both technological sovereignty and collective deterrence. For industry stakeholders, the deal signals a broader shift: battlefield-validated Eastern European capabilities moving from tactical tools into systemic European defence frameworks.