UK Secures UFORCE Manufacturing Expansion Through £113 Million National Wealth Fund Investment

• Combat-proven Ukrainian drone systems will be engineered and produced in Britain, driven by a £113 million National Wealth Fund investment that supports UFORCE expansion and domestic manufacturing.

• The expansion will bolster support for Ukraine and UK partners, including allies in Northern Europe, while reinforcing UK defence capabilities and strengthening domestic supply chains.

• Defence Secretary Wes Streeting showcased UFORCE’s combat-proven technology aboard HMS Prince of Wales, remotely operating an uncrewed vessel from more than 1,500 miles away.

High-calibre employment opportunities are arriving in Britain as Ukrainian drone specialists UFORCE enlarge their UK operations, introducing frontline-proven technology to the nation.

The government-backed National Wealth Fund is committing £113 million to UFORCE as part of its broader $700 million (over £525 million) Series A funding round, underwriting the company’s growth and advanced manufacturing within Britain. UFORCE will scale its UK engineering, training, and production workforce and invest in a British supply chain, sourcing hulls, engines, electronics, and fit-out locally. More than 70% of the content of every boat manufactured in the UK will originate from British suppliers.

UFORCE is a Ukrainian-founded, UK-headquartered defence technology firm developing combat-proven autonomous and uncrewed systems across sea, land, and air domains.

The investment will substantially widen UFORCE’s UK footprint, creating hundreds of high-skilled roles in engineering, software, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Britain will serve as a base to support allies, such as the nations of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), with a specific focus on capabilities for operating in Northern seas.

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: 

Bringing battle-tested Ukrainian technology to Britain will mean more high-skilled jobs, new investment and a stronger British Armed Forces.

This is exactly what the National Wealth Fund was set up to do – an investment that will strengthen both our economic and national security, while putting the UK at the forefront of the next generation of defence technology.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP said: 

Ukraine is rewriting the rules of warfare. In just a few years the UK has gone from training Ukraine to being trained by Ukraine, as they prove that who can innovate fastest is a key measure of modern military power.

Bringing battle-tested expertise to the UK will create high-skilled jobs, spur innovation and strengthen our warfighting readiness, enhancing our ability to deter our adversaries.

The funding will scale British production, engineering, and delivery of UFORCE’s combat-proven systems for the UK, Ukraine, and allied nations, while reinforcing domestic defence supply chains.

The expansion will establish the UK as a major hub for the software, command-and-control, and production capabilities that underpin UFORCE’s global growth.

The company will also develop and sponsor apprenticeships in partnership with universities and colleges across the UK.

The technology was demonstrated aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Norway, where Defence Secretary Wes Streeting piloted a UFORCE MV7 (Magura family) uncrewed vessel located over 1,500 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal.

The investment serves as a prominent example of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, deepening the defence industrial relationship between the two countries and transferring combat-proven Ukrainian technology to Britain.

Oliver Holbourn, Chief Executive Officer of the National Wealth Fund, said:   

Today’s investment is a testament to the special relationship that the UK and Ukraine have fostered. Through the National Wealth Fund’s support, UFORCE’s expansion is bringing the production and engineering of combat tested autonomous systems to the UK.

It will help create high-skilled jobs, strengthen domestic supply chains and reinforce the UK’s position as a leading centre for innovation in technologies that are increasingly important to national security and economic resilience.

Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO, UFORCE, said:  

The UK was an early supporter of Ukraine’s defence technology ecosystem, listening to our challenges and helping us tackle them – we’re pleased that UFORCE can now play a role in helping the UK develop its ecosystem in return.

This investment from the National Wealth Fund is yet another demonstration of Britain’s steadfast support for, and belief in, Ukraine, and of the deepening partnership between our two countries. It lets us contribute directly to transatlantic security, making sovereign, combat-proven, cost-effective autonomous systems available to the UK and its allies.

Together, the UK and Ukraine have the opportunity to lead the world in this next generation of defence technology, and we’re proud to be building that future here in Britain.

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