1st Ukrainian drone factory starts production in UK, Zaluzhnyi says
The first Ukrainian defense plant in the U.K., Ukrspecsystems, has begun operations, producing drones that have "long proven their effectiveness in high-tech warfare," Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced on Feb. 25.
Without specifying the types of drones being produced, Zaluzhnyi said the launch of Ukrainian drone company Ukrspecsystems' production in the U.K. has "a deep strategic logic" for integration into the British defense industry.
U.K. Defence Journal reported in September 2025 that Ukrspecsystems, which it described as Ukraine's largest drone manufacturer, has committed a 200 million-pound (nearly $270 million) investment to build a factory and a test and training site in eastern England.
"This is not a shift of the center of gravity away from Ukraine," Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said in his Telegram post.
"It is an expansion of our joint capabilities and the creation of a second line of defense that guarantees continuity of production."
The announcement comes as Ukrainian defense companies ramp up production domestically despite the threat of Russian missiles and drones. Trying to gather more funds to boost production, many such companies are cooperating with Western partners in exchange for knowledge and battlefield experience.
"Our engineers are creating solutions that are born directly from frontline experience. They are improving systems not based on theoretical research, but on the results of real combat applications," Zaluzhnyi said.
Ukrspecsystems had not released a statement on its website about the launch of production in the U.K. at the time of publication.
Among the drones that Ukrspecsystems produces are Shark reconnaissance drones, praised by Ukrainian officials for their effectiveness despite the cost.
"We are creating a new quality of partnership, where allies not only support each other but also form a common industrial security base," Zaluzhnyi said.
