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Ukraine: Unmanned Air Systems

Asked by Ben Obese-JectyConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 23 January 2026UIN 106064

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the full scope of Project Octopus.

Answered by Luke Pollard

Project OCTOPUS is the first joint UK-Ukraine defence industrial project initiated under Project LYRA and was announced on 10 September 2025 by the Prime Minister. Under Project OCTOPUS, the UK and Ukraine will work together to rapidly optimise an Ukrainian designed air defence interceptor for mass production, with the first units anticipated to start being produced in the UK in the coming weeks, before being sent to Ukraine for testing and operational deployment. The project aims to enable production at scale, with a target of being able to produce thousands of drones per month to support Ukraine's defence needs.

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