AIRO and Nord Drone Group Form Strategic Joint Venture for Battlefield-Tested Drone Technologies

AIRO and Nord Drone Group are forming a joint venture to accelerate the deployment of drone technologies, particularly those tested in Ukraine, to the US and NATO member countries. AIRO will contribute manufacturing oversight, R&D resources, and government procurement leadership, while Nord Drone will provide proprietary drone technologies, production facilities, and supply chain access. The partnership aims to enhance AIRO's defense and aerospace portfolio by integrating Nord Drone's high-volume, battlefield-proven drone systems into its platform.

AIRO Group Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRO) and Nord Drone LLC have signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to establish a strategic joint venture aimed at accelerating the deployment of combat-proven unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to the United States, Ukraine, and NATO member countries. The partnership, announced on September 8, 2025, seeks to leverage the strengths of both companies to enhance AIRO's defense and aerospace portfolio and meet the urgent operational needs of key defense markets.

Under the LOI, AIRO will contribute manufacturing oversight, R&D resources, government procurement leadership, and strategic corporate support, while Nord Drone will provide proprietary drone technologies, production facilities, supply chain access, and coordination with defense ministries, including Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. This collaboration is expected to significantly broaden AIRO’s reach across a wider spectrum of drone platforms, supporting a more diverse range of mission profiles and operational needs.

Nord Drone, known for its battlefield-proven drones, currently manufactures approximately 4,000 drones per month, with the ability to scale up to 25,000 units with additional government support. Its systems, including first-person view (FPV) strike units, loitering munitions, and multi-role bombers, have consistently ranked among the top performers in military evaluations. The partnership with Nord Drone would expand AIRO’s reach into adjacent battlefield applications, introducing powerful new capabilities and reinforcing AIRO’s position as a comprehensive provider of next-generation unmanned systems to global defense clients.

AIRO’s RQ-35 Heidrun has demonstrated battlefield effectiveness with hundreds of thousands of flight hours across its deployed fleet, with advanced autonomous navigation, real-time ISR capabilities, and proven survivability in high-threat, GNSS/GPS-denied environments. The partnership aims to integrate Nord Drone’s high-volume production capabilities and combat-tested technologies with AIRO’s U.S.-based manufacturing infrastructure and expertise in government procurement.

The joint venture is intended to serve urgent operational needs across key defense markets, including the United States, Ukraine, NATO member countries, and other mutually agreed territories. It will support both immediate conflict response and long-term modernization initiatives.

Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, Executive Chairman of AIRO, stated, "This strategic partnership represents a significant opportunity to deliver proven, battlefield-tested technology to our allies when they need it most. By combining our engineering, manufacturing capabilities, and NATO relationships with Nord Drone's exceptional technical expertise, we believe we can rapidly scale production of critical defense systems."

Yevgen Kotukh, CTO of Nord Drone, added, "Our collaboration with AIRO has the potential to create a powerful platform to expand our combat-proven technologies to serve U.S. and NATO forces. This partnership will enable us to leverage established manufacturing infrastructure while maintaining the technical excellence that has made our systems so effective in our current operations."

The LOI is non-binding and execution of definitive joint venture agreements is subject to customary conditions, including the completion of mutual due diligence and regulatory review processes. Each of AIRO and Nord Drone have agreed to use good faith efforts to negotiate definitive documentation within 60 days, however, there can be no assurance that such definitive documentation will be entered into on the terms described herein or at all.

[1] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/AIRO/airo-and-nord-drone-group-to-form-joint-venture-aimed-at-povfex13dv74.html