First Ukrainian drone factory starts operating in UK
Photo: The first Ukrainian drone manufacturing plant has begun operations in the UK (t.me/Zaluzhnui)
The first Ukrainian defense plant of Ukrspecsystems, producing drones, has begun operating in the United Kingdom, stated Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Read also: Ukraine and Germany to launch joint drone manufacturing plant
According to Zaluzhnyi, the facility is a manufacturing complex of Ukrspecsystems, whose unmanned aerial systems have proven effective in high-tech warfare.
"Ukraine is fighting in conditions of constant missile strikes, destruction of infrastructure, and threats to production. And our engineers create solutions that are born directly from front-line experience. They improve systems not based on theoretical research, but on the results of real combat applications," the Ambassador wrote.
Therefore, according to Zaluzhnyi, launching production in the United Kingdom has deep strategic logic.
"This is not a shift in the center of gravity from Ukraine. This is an expansion of our joint capabilities and the creation of a second resilience contour that guarantees the continuity of production," the Ambassador noted.
He added that the center of engineering expertise will remain in Ukraine, while production will be integrated into the British defense space.
"We are creating a new quality of partnership, where allies not only support each other, but also form a common industrial security base," the ambassador noted.
Ukrspecsystems has been operating since 2014, earning a reputation as a developer of highly effective unmanned solutions. Its flagship products include the PD-2 reconnaissance systems, Gekata, and the Shark drone line.
Joint production of Ukrainian drones
Earlier, it was reported that Europe is ready to purchase Ukrainian drones and technologies, while Ukraine is prepared to buy European ones. For example, Germany will begin producing drones that have already been battle-tested on the front line — specifically the TYTAN Interceptor UAVs.
In addition, French company Renault, together with defense company Turgis Gaillard, will manufacture long-range drones for Ukraine. France and Ukraine have been working for some time on launching drone production for the Ukrainian army.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also announced plans for joint drone production between Ukraine and Japan.
Ukraine has also proposed a drone production deal to the United States that would allow for the manufacture of around 10 million UAVs annually.
It was recently reported that a joint Ukrainian-German enterprise to produce drones will begin operating in Germany in the near future.
Moreover, in September 2025, it became known that Ukrspecsystems LLC would build a drone manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom. Serial production is expected to begin in early 2026.
