A state-of-the-art interceptor drone that will be made in the UK
and deployed to the front line in Ukraine is set to go on display
in Downing Street.
The Octopus drone will be put on display in the House as a
constant reminder of Ukraine's ongoing resistance - and the UK's
unwavering support - in the face of Russian aggression.
The defensive drone was gifted to the Prime Minister by President
Zelenskyy during his visit to Downing Street in October. It was
the first drone of its kind to come to the UK, ahead of the mass
production of Octopus in the UK later this year, following a
landmark agreement to share battlefield technology struck by the
Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy in the summer.
The Octopus embodies the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, with
technology data sets from Ukraine's front line plugged into UK
production lines, allowing British defence firms to rapidly
design and build, at scale, cutting edge military equipment
available nowhere else in the world. The data fed into the
Octopus changes every six weeks to keep pace with the rate of
developments on the frontline.
Prime Minister said:
“The display of the Octopus drone in Downing Street will serve as
a poignant reminder of Ukrainian people's bravery and courage as
they defend their freedom from Russia's ongoing barbaric attacks.
“It will also stand as a proud symbol of the unique and
unwavering friendship between our two countries, with this
defensive drone combining frontline Ukrainian innovation with
British industrial heft to create cutting-edge capability here in
the UK to defend both our countries.”
Interceptor drones are considerably cheaper than regular air
defence missiles and have proved to be highly effective in
countering the waves of one-way attack drones Russia continue to
launch at Ukraine's cities. They fly quickly to intercept
incoming drones and missiles, destroying them before they reach
their targets.
The drone developed under Project Octopus was designed by
Ukraine, with support from UK scientists and technicians and
has already proved successful on the battlefield, proving highly
effective against the Shahed one-way attack drone variants used
by Russia – despite costing less than 10% to produce than the
drones they are designed to intercept. The same Russian drones
were used to fly over NATO airspace in Poland in recent weeks.
