The UK defence industry will produce interceptor drones at the rate of thousands per month to help Ukraine defend intself in the ongoing war against Russia, John Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defence, has said. Healey was delivering the keynote address on the third day of DSEI 2025.
The initiative, called Project OCTOPUS, is the first of a broader new technology sharing agreement between the UK and Ukraine by which the defence industries of the two countries will manufacture and jointly develop cutting-edge military equipment.
The drone developed under Project OCTOPUS has been designed by Ukraine with support from UK scientists and technicians and has already proved successful on the battlefield, proving highly effective against the Shahed one-way attack drone variants used by Russia. The drones cost less than 10% of the drones they are designed to intercept.
"Through this groundbreaking industrial partnership with Ukraine, and our new Defence Industrial Strategy, we are revving up our world-leading defence industry," Healey said. "We will innovate at a wartime pace, support UK and Ukrainian security, and boost jobs here in Britain. This deal is a first of its kind, giving UK industry unprecedented access to the latest equipment designs, supporting Ukraine in its fight to defend against Putin’s illegal invasion and showing how defence can be an engine for growth as we deliver on our Plan for Change."
The UK is spending £4.5bn on military support to Ukraine this year. In March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a £1.6 billion deal to provide more than five thousand air defence missiles for Ukraine - creating 200 new jobs and supporting a further 700. The UK will also invest a record £350m this year to increase the supply of drones to Ukraine from a target of 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025.
The new tech sharing agreement is further evidence of the growing industrial partnership between the UK and Ukraine, announced by the Prime Minister after meeting President Zelenskyy this summer. Last week, Healey visited Kyiv and signed an expansion to the partnership, allowing sharing and joint development of intellectual property.
Babcock International Group and HII have signed a memorandum of understanding to bring together HII’s REMUS unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)…
Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin are highlighting the capabilities of the Fuchs Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), a highly mobile combat vehicle…
Saab is highlighting the capabilities of Nimbrix, its first ever dedicated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) missile, at DSEI 2025. The…
Milrem Robotics, along with Overwatch Aerospace, MSI-Defence Systems, and Pearson Engineering, has announced the launch of a UK-specific version of…
Zelim, which is exhibiting its defence portfolio at DSEI in London, has launched a new dedicated business unit to meet…
Milrem Robotics has unveiled the ARCOS (Autonomous & Robotic Control Suite) at DSEI 2025. ARCOS is a next-generation software suite…
At the ongoing DSEI 2025 in London, sensor solutions provider Hensoldt unveiled its TAROSS solution, an electro-optical sensor system for…
GM Defense, which formed Team LionStrike with BAE Systems and NP Aerospace to compete for the UK’s Light Mobility Vehicle…
European defense group MBDA announced at DSEI 2025 that it is developing the Akeron MBT, a new tank-launched guided missile…
Thales and UK-based Autonomous Devices have announced a partnership to jointly develop the EW-UAS1, a new drone-based electronic warfare (EW)…
Malaysia has signed a landmark contract with Thales and its local partner, Advanced Defence Systems (ADS), becoming the first international…
Kongsberg Maritime will supply fuelling at sea (FAS) and replenishment at sea (RAS) equipment for two Portuguese naval replenishment and…
Milrem Robotics has officially launched its groundbreaking HAVOC 8×8 Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) in Europe. The launch at the ongoing…
HII and Thales have successfully integrated the SAMDIS 600 synthetic aperture sonar with HII’s REMUS 620 medium-class unmanned underwater vehicle…
Teledyne FLIR Defense unveiled SkyCarrier, an autonomous launch and recovery platform for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), on the opening day…
Hensoldt and real-time analytics firm KX signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the opening day of DSEI UK 2025…
Opening DSEI 2025 in London, UK Minister of State responsible for international relations and defence diplomacy, Lord Vernon Coaker, declared…
ASELSAN has introduced its next-generation mobile counter-UAV system, KORKUT 100/25 SB, to the international audience. The system, being shown to…
Rafael has publicly unveiled the IRON BEAM 450, a new high-energy laser beam director. The IRON BEAM 450, which the…
Kongsberg Maritime has secured contracts with Irving Shipbuilding to supply Fixed Built Propellers (FBP) for the River Class Destroyer (RCD)…
Aselsan is highlighting the capabilities of its TOLUN-IIR and TOLUN-S precision munitions as well as the KORKUT 100/25 SB close-range…
Tiberius Aerospace has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the rapid trial and development…
FN – which includes FN Herstal, FN UK and FN America – has brought to DSEI 2025 a wide range…
UK-based specialist composite design and manufacturing company GTR Composites Group is joining hands with NP Aerospace, global armour manufacturer and…
At DSEI 2025, ST Engineering is introducing the Light Reconnaissance Strike concept, a formation-level suite of solutions that equips light…
Indra, which has supplied critical systems to the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force, besides developing projects…
UVision Air is unveiling a major advancement in autonomous warfare at DSEI 2025 - an AI-based Common Operating System (COS)…
Metis, specialists in providing Radio Frequency (RF) and drone detection technologies across diverse sectors, has introduced THEIA, its new operating…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
