Manufacturing Biz #6 - Magazine - Page 10
Manufacturing Biz
FOCUS ON A WORLD AT WAR
New drone factory opens in Suffolk to
boost Ukraine's Armed Forces against
Russia's war
U
kraine’s Armed Forces will be
able to better defend itself against
Russia’s brutal attacks after one of
Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers opens
a new factory in Suffolk.Four years on from
Putin’s illegal invasion, the UK is backing
Ukraine by hosting a new Ukrspecsystems
production facility in East Anglia. The UK
has previously ordered over 80 SHARK and
Mini-SHARK drones from Ukrspecystems’
factories in Ukraine, which help save
Ukrainian lives by combatting Russia’s war
effort.In a vote of confidence for the UK,
Ukrspecsystems chose sites in Mildenhall
and Elmsett in Suffolk for their new drone
factory and testing and training facility. The
company’s £200 million investment will
create up to 500 British jobs at the sites and
broader UK supply chain.Ukrspecsystems’
new factory is a vote of confidence in UK
support and underlines the deepening
cooperation between our nations’ defence
industries. This investment will create up
to 500 new jobs in the East of England,
drive defence as an engine for growth, and
help Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s
aggression.This follows more than £1
billion committed to support Ukraine’s air
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defences since July 2024, helping Ukraine
defend itself against Russian drone attacks
on civilians and critical infrastructure.
Ukrspecsystems is a Ukrainian drone
company, founded in 2014, which produces
a wide variety of drones, including the PD-2
and SHARK-M surveillance drones which
communicate autonomously with strike
drones to identify, track and destroy Russian
targets. Ukrspecsystems’ drones have
contributed to almost $3 billion of damage
to Putin’s war machine since the onset of the
full-scale invasion.The UK has separately
started producing Octopus interceptor
drones, aiming to ramp up to thousands
per month, designed to take out Russian
Shaheeds and other weapons at a fraction
of the cost, part of the Ministry of Defence’s
£4.5 billion military support package.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK General
Valerii Zaluzhnyi said: “This factory
represents more than industrial cooperation
– it is part of a new European security
architecture built on shared responsibility
and shared production. Ukraine brings
battlefield experience and innovation, and
together with the United Kingdom we
are strengthening the capabilities needed
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“This factory represents
more than industrial
cooperation – it is part of
a new European security
architecture built on
shared responsibility and
shared production.”
to deter aggression.” The UK’s Defence
Industrial Strategy is making it easier for
defence business to operate in the UK,
driving economic growth and supporting
the government’s support for Ukraine, in
line with the Strategic Defence Review.
Delivered with UK and Ukrainian
Government support and in partnership
with British SMEs, this is ‘Made with
Ukraine’ in action - embodying the UKUkraine 100-Year Partnership through
real industrial capability, happening now
in East Anglia.
