Ukraine’s drone pioneers bring battle-tested tech and high-skilled jobs to Britain

Official Statements

• British Government, November 12:

  Ukraine’s drone pioneers bring battle-tested tech and high-skilled jobs to Britain

  • Battle-tested Ukrainian drone technology to be produced and engineered in Britain as £113 million National Wealth Fund investment boosts UFORCE expansion and manufacturing in the UK
  • Expansion will support Ukraine and UK partners, including in Northern Europe, while strengthening UK defence capability and supply chains
  • Defence Secretary demonstrated UFORCE’s combat-proven technology aboard HMS Prince of Wales, remotely piloting an uncrewed vessel more than 1,500 miles away

• British Government, November 12: “High-skilled jobs are coming to Britain as Ukrainian drone pioneers UFORCE expand their UK operations, bringing battle-tested technology developed on the frontline to the UK. ”

• British Government, November 12: “The government-backed National Wealth Fund is investing £113 million in UFORCE as part of its $700 million (over £525 million) Series A funding round, backing the company’s expansion and advanced manufacturing in Britain. UFORCE will expand its UK engineering, training and production team and invest in a British supply chain, with hulls, engines, electronics and fit-out sourced in the UK. More than 70% of the content of each UK-built boat will come from British suppliers. ”

• British Government, November 12: “UFORCE is a Ukrainian-founded, UK-headquartered defence technology company developing combat-proven autonomous and uncrewed systems across sea, land and air.   The investment will significantly expand UFORCE’s presence across the UK, creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs in engineering, software, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. The UK will serve as a base to support allies, like the nations of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), with a particular focus on capabilities for operating in Northern seas. ”

  Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: 

  Bringing battle-tested Ukrainian technology to Britain will mean more high-skilled jobs, new investment and a stronger British Armed Forces. This is exactly what the National Wealth Fund was set up to do - an investment that will strengthen both our economic and national security, while putting the UK at the forefront of the next generation of defence technology.

  Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP said: 

  Ukraine is rewriting the rules of warfare. In just a few years the UK has gone from training Ukraine to being trained by Ukraine, as they prove that who can innovate fastest is a key measure of modern military power. Bringing battle-tested expertise to the UK will create high-skilled jobs, spur innovation and strengthen our warfighting readiness, enhancing our ability to deter our adversaries.

• British Government, November 12: “The investment will scale British production, engineering and delivery of UFORCE’s combat-proven systems for the UK, Ukraine and allied nations, while strengthening domestic defence supply chains.   The expansion will make the UK a major hub for the software, command-and-control and production capabilities underpinning UFORCE’s global growth.   The company will also develop and sponsor apprenticeships in partnership with universities and colleges across the UK.  ”

• British Government, November 12: “The technology was put to the test aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Norway, where Defence Secretary Wes Streeting piloted a UFORCE MV7 (Magura family) uncrewed vessel which was located over 1,500 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal.    The investment is a shining example of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, deepening the defence industrial relationship between the two countries and bringing combat-proven Ukrainian technology to Britain.  ”

  Oliver Holbourn, Chief Executive Officer of the National Wealth Fund, said:   

  Today’s investment is a testament to the special relationship that the UK and Ukraine have fostered. Through the National Wealth Fund’s support, UFORCE’s expansion is bringing the production and engineering of combat tested autonomous systems to the UK. It will help create high-skilled jobs, strengthen domestic supply chains and reinforce the UK’s position as a leading centre for innovation in technologies that are increasingly important to national security and economic resilience.

  Oleg Rogynskyy, Ceo, UFORCE, said:  

  The UK was an early supporter of Ukraine’s defence technology ecosystem, listening to our challenges and helping us tackle them - we’re pleased that UFORCE can now play a role in helping the UK develop its ecosystem in return. This investment from the National Wealth Fund is yet another demonstration of Britain’s steadfast support for, and belief in, Ukraine, and of the deepening partnership between our two countries. It lets us contribute directly to transatlantic security, making sovereign, combat-proven, cost-effective autonomous systems available to the UK and its allies. Together, the UK and Ukraine have the opportunity to lead the world in this next generation of defence technology, and we’re proud to be building that future here in Britain.