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JV abroad:
strategy and the numbers

  • Build a growth strategy around a JV: country, model and partner
  • Model the economics before the MoU: unit cost, each side's contribution, revenue, taxes and fees
  • Set up a structure that keeps the IP with the Ukrainian company
  • Take the deal through Resolution 875 permits to the first production run
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The problem

The MoU gets signed before anyone models the economics.

Wiseboard Defense tracks 51 outbound production deals by Ukrainian defense companies. 41 of them were announced in 2026, and 6 are in serial production. KSE Institute counts 22% of partnerships stalled, most of them at the MoU stage.

The country, the structure, the permit path and the unit cost are usually worked out after the public announcement, when the terms are hard to change. Modelling them before signing turns the MoU into a launch plan.

The service

What the work covers

01
Strategy
and country
Why the company needs a JV, and in which country it brings a customer, capital or a market.
  • Goal: market access, funding or capacity
  • Two or three countries compared on the same numbers
  • Model: joint company, assembly at a partner's line, or a subsidiary
  • Drone Deal and MFA country-list check
Outcome
A JV-led growth strategy
02
JV
economics
The new country modelled on your product's numbers, before the MoU is signed.
  • Unit cost on the new site
  • Each side's contribution and stake
  • Revenue: royalties or dividends
  • Tax on taking profit out and the Resolution 875 fee
Outcome
A model to negotiate with
03
Partner
and structure
The partner, a check on the money, and a structure that keeps the technology yours.
  • Partner search and selection for the country and model
  • Capital checks on both sides
  • Jurisdiction, shareholders, technology licence
  • IP access limits and an exit scenario
Outcome
Deal structure and licence terms
04
Permits
and launch
From the technology-transfer application to the first run on the new site.
  • Resolution 875 application and Ministry of Defence sign-off
  • A counterpart request from the partner country's ministry
  • A National Bank capital permit, where needed
  • Site financing and the first order
Outcome
Permits and a first production run

Scope

From where the deal is now to the first run

Pick the stage your deal is at. The bench shows what is still ahead and what you get at the end.

Starting point
Still ahead
What you get
A JV-led growth strategy
The new country's economics, modelled
Deal structure and IP licence
Permit path and launch plan
Handed over as
Model, structure and roadmap
In short

Scope and timing for your deal are set at the first review.

Models

Which JV model fits which goal

A joint company in the partner's country

Both sides are shareholders. The company takes a production licence and sells to the local customer or supplies Ukraine.

The most common model. The jurisdiction follows the customer and the investors.

Assembly at a partner's line

The partner has the production line; the Ukrainian side hands over the specification, documentation and software. No joint company is required.

The fastest start. The technology transfer still needs a permit.

A subsidiary with the partner in the capital

Control stays with the Ukrainian side; the partner comes in with money, space or access to the customer.

The most control. And the most own capital up front.

Process

Roadmap to the first production run

Stages overlap: the partner search runs alongside the modelling, and the counterpart request is prepared together with the application. A deal that already has an MoU starts mid-map.

StrategyModellingDealStructurePermitsLaunch
01Strategy and countryGoal, countries, model
02EconomicsUnit cost, contributions, revenue, tax
—Partner and capital checkAlongside the modelling
in parallel
03MoUOn terms already modelled
MoU
04Structure and IP licenceCompany, shareholders, IP access
05Resolution 875 applicationMinistry of Defence and SSECU sign-off
up to 30 days
—Counterpart requestFrom the partner country's ministry
in parallel
—National Bank capital permitIf the Ukrainian side puts in money
if needed
06Site financingHost-country money, orders
07First production runOn the new site
MoU on modelled termsFirst runPartner offer in hand: start here
StageRuns in parallelWaiting on a decisionMilestone
What we need from the company
  • The product and its current unit cost
  • The countries you are considering
  • The partner's offer or the MoU, if there is one
  • The current company structure and who holds the IP
  • Investors and round terms, if the JV has to sit in the model
  • A contact person on the company side

Deliverable

Strategy, numbers and deal structure

You come out with a decision to negotiate on: which country, which model, what the product will cost on the new site, and who earns what.

  • A JV-led growth strategy
  • Countries and models compared on the same numbers
  • Unit cost on the new site
  • Each side's contribution and stake
  • Revenue mechanism: royalties or dividends
  • Tax on taking profit out and the Resolution 875 fee
  • Deal structure and IP licence terms
  • Permit and launch roadmap
JV MODEL · NEW COUNTRY PRODUCT · COUNTRY · MODEL UNIT COST UKRAINE · UPLIFT ON THE NEW SITE CONTRIBUTIONS UKRAINIAN SIDE · PARTNER REVENUE AND REPATRIATION Royalties or dividends Tax on taking profit out Resolution 875 fee STATUS READY FOR THE MOU ILLUSTRATION · NOT REAL DATA
Get the JV modelled

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

It is a model of co-production in a specific country, built on your product's numbers: how much the unit cost rises, what each side contributes, how each side earns, what tax applies when profit is taken out, and the fee due under Ukraine's Resolution 875. Countries and models are compared on it, and it is what you take into the negotiation with the partner.
Before the MoU is signed, while the terms can still change. If the MoU is already signed, the model shows on what terms to turn it into a deal. If the company abroad already exists, the structure is checked against the export-control conditions.
The ones you are considering: most often EU states, the UK, the US, Canada and the Gulf. Each is modelled on the same inputs so unit cost, tax and access to the customer can be compared, and each is checked for Drone Deal membership.
Yes, under Cabinet Resolution 875, in force since 8 July 2026. The fee on technology exports is 20%, an application is decided within 30 calendar days, and the importing state guarantees the technology is used without alienating the IP rights. A sale of technology or a transfer of exclusive rights goes to the interagency commission, so the JV usually takes a licence while the rights stay with the Ukrainian company.
The rights stay with the Ukrainian company, the joint company takes a licence with defined limits, and non-resident shareholders' access to technical information is restricted in the charter, the shareholders' agreement and the licence. Even formal access by a foreign shareholder to IP held in Ukraine can breach export-control conditions.
Yes. The partner is selected for the country and the model, and both sides are checked: where the partner's capital comes from, and where the Ukrainian company's own investors' capital comes from. Money with a poor reputation or ties to public officials can put off a European partner or a ministry.
With a model built on that offer. It shows how the unit cost changes, what each side puts in and how you earn, which tells you whether to sign the MoU and on what terms. The partner's offer becomes an input to choosing the model.
It raises it once it produces cash flow. A signed deal with no production, or a plant that starts years from now, barely moves the valuation, so the JV goes into the financial model with a realistic launch schedule and the risks of its structure.
The stage of the deal, how many countries and models are compared, and how complex the structure is. The cost for your deal is set at the first review.

Next step

Want the JV for your new country modelled?

Build a growth strategy around a JV and model its economics: unit cost, each side's contribution, revenue, taxes and fees. Sign up.

Reply under NDA defense@wiseboard.me

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