Ukraine, UK Sign Deal to Manufacture, Supply Drone Technology

The UK and Ukraine on March 17 agreed to develop a joint defense technological and industrial “ecosystem,” which will include the manufacture and supply of drone technology and anti-missile capabilities.

At the meeting in London, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to strengthen their partnership in these areas “to address critical gaps” in air defense capabilities in Ukraine, the UK, and the broader Euro-Atlantic area.

“The priority areas will in particular include cost-effective [unmanned air system] interceptors and sensing, systems integration anti-cruise and the development of anti-ballistic missile capabilities,” the two leaders said in a joint statement published by Downing Street.

The statement also outlined that the British and Ukrainian defense ministries had enabled the licensed production of the Octopus interceptor drone, designed in Ukraine, for production in the UK. The leaders described this agreement as demonstrating the potential for the two countries to scale the production of Ukrainian technologies, which have been proven effective on the battlefield.

Downing Street said in a statement ahead of the meeting that through such a partnership, both leaders would be “capitalising on Ukraine’s expertise and the UK’s industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative capabilities.”

“Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East,” Starmer said in the statement before meeting with Zelenskyy.

Four years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has rapidly developed its expertise in drone and anti-drone technologies that have become vital tools on the front.

Ukraine increased its production capacity for making interceptor drones by 800 percent this year and now has 20 companies working in the field, according to Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

In the past year, the country produced 100,000 interceptor drones to counter Russian Shahed drones.

The decision to mass-produce the cheaply made drones was based on economics, according to the security council.

“Ukraine cannot shoot down hundreds of enemy drones daily with expensive air defense missile,” the council stated. “Shooting down one Shahed with an interceptor drone costs over 25 times less than using a Western-model air defense missile.”

Sharing Technology

These technologies, the Ukrainian president has previously suggested, are now relevant to the fresh conflict in the Middle East, where the United States, Israel, and Persian Gulf states are intercepting Iranian drones.

In an address to Members of Parliament on March 17, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv has made deals with Gulf states to share technology and has 201 Ukrainian military experts specializing in defending against Shahed drones.

“We are ready to offer similar deals to all our reliable partners—from practical cooperation on drones to future defense alliances,” the Ukrainian president stated. “And I don’t think anyone would want to leave Ukraine’s war-proven strength and capability outside their security.

“The United Kingdom sees these opportunities clearly—our agreements are always solid, and I’m glad that today we have signed a declaration with the Prime Minister.”

Several Persian Gulf nations have had to intercept drones and missiles fired from Iran, as the Iran war spills out into the wider region.

Zelenskyy has also offered his country’s drone expertise to the United States, but President Donald Trump rejected the idea, saying it was unnecessary.

“We don’t need the help in drone defense,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on March 13. “We know about drones more than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually.”

A White House official told The Epoch Times that Operation Epic Fury has been a “resounding success,” with Iranian drone attacks down 95 percent and ballistic missile attacks down 90 percent.

Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.