Ukraine and Britain to launch joint production of “Octopus” interceptor drones in February

Ukraine and the United Kingdom have been launching monthly joint production of thousands of “Octopus” interceptor drones since February.

The agreements were reported by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha during the first 100-Year Partnership Forum between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, which took place on January 16 in Kyiv.

Sybiha also noted that Britain has decided to allocate more than UAH 170 billion annually for Ukraineʼs defense in the coming years. In addition, London has tightened sanctions against Russia, in particular against the so-called shadow fleet: more than 540 tankers have been placed under restrictions.

The forum took place on the anniversary of the signing of the 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The event was attended by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as well as diplomats, deputies, and the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada.

• On January 10, British Defense Secretary John Healy reported that production of new Octopus drones for Ukraine would begin this month. The UK plans to produce thousands of these drones each month, and their cost will be about 10% of the price of the enemy drones they are used against.
• Octopus is a drone of Ukrainian technology, developed in cooperation with the UK. These are interceptor drones that destroy Russian "Shaheds" with high efficiency — 70% or more. In November, they were launched into mass production.

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