The UK government has announced that a new counter-UAS interceptor drone, named Project OCTOPUS, will be mass produced in the UK, “with a target to produce thousands per month to provide to Ukraine to support its ongoing fight for freedom against Putin’s illegal full-scale invasion,” according to a UK government press statement.
“The technology sharing arrangement is among the first of its kind signed with Ukraine, allowing for unprecedented collaboration between British and Ukrainian companies, in a move that provides options to expand industrial capacity and harness defence as an engine for growth – supporting investment and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.”
“Interceptor drones are considerably cheaper than regular air defence missiles and are proving to be highly effective in countering the waves of one-way attack drones Russia continues to launch at Ukraine’s cities,” said the government press release. “They fly quickly to intercept incoming drones and missiles, destroying them before they reach their targets.”
Ukraine will share intellectual property related to the drone.
The drone developed under Project OCTOPUS was designed by Ukraine with support from UK scientists and technicians and has already proved successful on the battlefield, proving highly effective against the Shahed one-way attack drone variants used by Russia – despite costing less than 10% to produce than the drones they are designed to intercept, said the press statement.
For more information
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/groundbreaking-ukraine-tech-sharing-agreement-to-deliver-drones-and-support-jobs
(Image: UK Ministry of Defence)
