Ukrspecsystems opens drone factory in Suffolk

Above: Ukrspecsystems at DSEI 2025 in London.
Copyright Ukrspecsystems 

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.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said: "Our resolve to support Ukraine is stronger than ever and we are backing Ukraine’s defiant Armed Forces as they fight for peace. 

"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."

The facility was opened by Defence Minister Luke Pollard yesterday, reaffirming the UK’s continued support for Ukraine. This follows more than £1 billion committed to support Ukraine’s air 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.

Today’s news is a clear demonstration of the 100 Year Partnership in action – establishing stronger and closer defence cooperation and industrial bases between the UK and Ukraine.

It also follows the announcement of a new business centre in Kyiv which will enable Britain’s cutting-edge defence industry and innovators to step up their work to equip Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

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 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."

Director of Ukrspecsystems UK Rory Chamberlain said: "Four years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this factory delivers what matters: secure supply, secure resource and sustained support for Ukraine. By establishing production in the UK, Ukrspecsystems are increasing the resilience of the UK’s defence industrial base and providing a trusted supply chain that ensures that the drones relied upon by the Ukrainian Armed Forces can be built and scaled without interruption. 

"Delivered with UK and Ukrainian Government support and in partnership with British SMEs, this is ‘Made with Ukraine’ in action – embodying the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership through real industrial capability, happening now in East Anglia."