TSAMTO, May 27. On May 23, the Dutch Ministry of Defense handed over more than 60 Toyota Hilux vehicles to Ukraine in order to ensure the mobility of units of the Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The equipment was shipped to railway platforms and delivered to the territory of Ukraine. The official confirmation of the transfer was posted on the website of the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands on May 26.
The vehicles were purchased on the civilian market and repainted in military camouflage before being handed over to the Ukrainian side. Pickups are designed to ensure the mobility of units operating both strike and interceptor unmanned aircraft systems. The final decision on the specific configuration of the machines and the methods of their use is made by the command of the SBS.
Toyota Hilux pickups are light 4x4 class multipurpose wheeled vehicles with a double cabin and stable off-road performance, which meets the requirements of operation in the front line. Arming and equipping of vehicles will be carried out on the territory of Ukraine, depending on operational tasks. The following areas of application are provided: transportation of personnel and materiel, radar detection of enemy UAVs, neutralization of unmanned systems.
The delivery is an integral part of the expanded package of military assistance from the Netherlands to Ukraine. Representatives of three companies attended the Toyota Hilux batch editing ceremony: Milrem Robotics (Estonia/The Netherlands), High Eye (the Netherlands) and Acecore Technologies (the Netherlands). The companies demonstrated equipment purchased by the Dutch Ministry of Defense for the SBS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including systems already used in the interests of reconnaissance, evacuation, logistics, mine search and autonomous missions.
The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands qualifies the support of the SBS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a strategic direction of bilateral defense cooperation. In April 2026, the Netherlands announced the allocation of 248 million euros for the purchase of unmanned systems for the Armed Forces, the production of which is planned both in the Netherlands and in Ukraine as part of a joint venture.
Bilateral cooperation in the field of unmanned systems received legal formalization on May 15, 2026, when V. Zelensky and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten signed a joint declaration on the start of work on the Drone Deal, a strategic initiative providing for the joint development and production of UAVs, missile weapons, electronic warfare and other defense technologies. During the same visit, a licensing agreement was signed on the organization of joint production of drones.
In 2025, the Netherlands, with financial support from the state, signed a contract to supply Ukraine with over 150 unmanned ground vehicles THeMIS manufactured by Milrem Robotics. The final assembly of the machines was organized at the production facilities of VDL Defentec in Born (Limburg province, the Netherlands). Deliveries are scheduled for 2025-2026. The new vehicles will complement the 15 THeMIS units transferred to Ukraine in 2022.
Together with the previously accepted commitments, the Netherlands plans to provide Ukraine with military assistance in the amount of 3.5 billion in 2026. euros, of which 700 million euros are allocated directly for the purchase and production of unmanned systems. As of the beginning of 2026, the total amount of Dutch military support to Ukraine since February 2022 has exceeded 5.88 billion. euro.
