UK reveals plans to manufacture interceptor drones for Ukraine
The United Kingdom will manufacture and jointly develop state-of-the-art military equipment with Ukrainian defence companies under a new, ground-breaking technology-sharing agreement that will support UK jobs and bolster the national security of both the UK and Ukraine.
Source: UK Ministry of Defence press release, as cited by European Pravda
Details: The first joint project, to be unveiled on 11 September at the DSEI exhibition in London, will be a new advanced air defence interceptor drone called Project OCTOPUS. It will be mass-produced in the UK, with plans to scale up to thousands per month for delivery to Ukraine in support of its fight for freedom against Russia’s unlawful full-scale invasion.
Quote: "Interceptor drones are considerably cheaper than regular air defence missiles and are proving to be highly effective in countering the waves of one-way attack drones Russia continues to launch at Ukraine’s cities. They fly quickly to intercept incoming drones and missiles, destroying them before they reach their targets."
Details: Officials added that such drones will help Ukraine defend itself from air attacks like the recent Russian strike on Ukraine’s west during which Poland and NATO were forced to intercept Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace.
The new technology-sharing agreement was made possible by the growing industrial partnership between the UK and Ukraine, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his summer meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Last week, Defence Secretary John Healey visited Kyiv and signed an expansion of the partnership, enabling the sharing and joint development of intellectual property.
Quote from Starmer: "By harnessing the strength of our world-class defence industry, we are not only helping Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s barbaric attacks, but we are also creating British jobs, driving growth, and securing our own future. This is all delivering on our Plan for Change."
More details: The interceptor drone developed under Project OCTOPUS was originally designed in Ukraine with support from British scientists and engineers. It has already proven effective on the battlefield against Russian Shahed-type drones, while costing less than 10% of the price of the drones it is designed to intercept.
Background:
- On 9 September, a Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format) meeting was held in London during which Defence Secretary John Healey announced plans for the UK to finance the domestic production of long-range drones for Ukraine.
- Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said his country is in the process of delivering two full Patriot systems to Ukraine and also announced a new joint procurement initiative worth €300 million in cooperation with Ukraine’s defence industry to purchase long-range drones.
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