The United Kingdom and Ukraine are preparing to jointly manufacture interceptor drones designed to counter the daily swarms of Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles that Russia has been deploying, Bloomberg reported. 

The initiative, dubbed “Octopus,” is currently under negotiation and could be launched within months, UK Minister of State for Defense Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said.

“Very shortly we’ll be producing around 2,000 drones a month, deliberately shipping all of them to Ukraine so they can be used to intercept Russian drones,” Pollard told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Defense Industries Forum in Kiev. He outlined ambitious production plans aimed at supplying Ukraine with a steady flow of defensive assets.

Ukraine’s growing need for air defenses

Kiev is urgently strengthening its air-defense capabilities as Russian forces reportedly intensify drone strikes, targeting energy infrastructure just as winter approaches. Recent attacks have already knocked out key parts of Ukraine’s gas production.

Developing interceptor drones that can lock onto incoming threats and collide with them before they reach their targets has become a top priority for Ukrainian commanders.

Ukrainian Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week that Russia launched almost 6,900 drones at Ukraine in September, more than half of which were Shahed drones. Interceptor systems reportedly destroyed the majority of them, but the sheer scale of the onslaught underscores Kiev’s urgent need for mass-produced countermeasures.

Although Ukraine says it has the capacity to manufacture up to $35 billion worth of weapons next year, President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed the need for external financing and technological support to meet that goal.

Kiev has reportedly called on international partners to provide funds, technical assistance, and direct procurements, as well as to establish joint ventures aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

UK role and industrial strategy

Pollard said initial production would take place in the UK, organized with enough flexibility to adapt to changing battlefield needs.

“UK is outstanding at R&D and advanced manufacturing, so we can add something that our Ukrainian friends don’t have in this respect,” he said.

He emphasized the need for rapid development: “We need to be fast and we need to be first.”

The drone initiative is just the beginning of deeper industrial ties between the UK and Ukraine, as per the report. Pollard indicated that London is planning additional collaborations with Kiev, including the co-production of glide bombs.

“We’re starting with drones for obvious reasons,” he said. “But in general, Ukraine is an essential partner for us in terms of creating the technologies we need to deter Russia and to re-arm Europe.”

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