Ukraine and Britain start production of new Octopus interceptor drones

An official presentation of the latest version of the Ukrainian Octopus interceptor drone to the British delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy took place in Kyiv.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

This drone, developed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is equipped with an artificial intelligence system for the automatic destruction of Shahed-type devices and has already proven its effectiveness in combat conditions. Thanks to a unique license agreement signed in November 2025, production of the Octopus is now underway at British facilities, which will allow the production of thousands of such devices every month for the needs of the Ukrainian air defense. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the first time transferred state defense technology to partners for mass production, which became possible thanks to the new reform in the field of intellectual property. The transfer of blueprints and algorithms will ensure a systematic strengthening of sky defense directly at the expense of British aid.

Great Britain will start production of Octopus interceptor drones for Ukraine in January 2026. They should strengthen defenses against Russian drone attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Ukraine may be approaching a turning point in the fight against the Russian Shaheds. A key role in this is played by the rapid scaling of the production of interceptor drones, which are gradually taking over the main burden of air defense.