Ukraine and Great Britain launch joint production of interceptor drones

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Ukraine and Great Britain plan joint production of interceptor drones to combat Russian 'Shahed' type drones. The 'Octopus' project envisages the production of about 2,000 drones per month, which will be sent to Ukraine to intercept Russian devices.

Ukraine and Great Britain launch joint production of interceptor drones

Ukraine and Great Britain plan to start joint production of interceptor drones to combat the swarms of Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles that Russia launches daily and that cause significant damage to civilian and energy infrastructure. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.

Details

As reported by the UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Luke Pollard, the project called "Octopus" is currently in the negotiation stage and could be implemented in the coming months.

Soon we will start producing about 2,000 drones a month and will deliberately send all of them to Ukraine so that they can intercept Russian drones.

– Pollard told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Defense Industry Forum in Kyiv.

Ukraine is trying to strengthen its air defense systems as Russia escalates drone attacks across the country. Moscow is shelling critical energy infrastructure ahead of winter — one attack earlier this week disabled more than half of Ukraine's gas production.

One of Kyiv's priorities is the development of interceptor drones that target and crash into them, preventing them from reaching their destination. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported last week that in September, Russia launched almost 6,900 drones over Ukraine, more than half of which were "Shaheds," and interceptors destroyed most of them.

Although Ukraine has the production capacity to produce weapons worth $35 billion next year, it needs funding, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week. In this regard, Kyiv calls on partners to provide technological and financial support, as well as to create joint ventures and make direct purchases for the Ukrainian army.

Pollard noted that initially, the production of interceptor drones will be located in the UK and organized flexibly enough to respond to changing needs on the battlefield.

The UK is excellent in R&D and high-tech manufacturing, so we can add what our Ukrainian friends don't have yet. We need to act fast and we need to be first.

– Pollard said.

The UK is planning other projects with Ukraine, including the production of glide bombs, Pollard added.

"We are starting with drones for obvious reasons," he said. "But overall, Ukraine is a key partner for us in creating the technologies needed to deter Russia and rearm Europe."

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