Ukraine and the United Kingdom have signed a licensing agreement to produce the Octopus interceptor drone

Delegations from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the UK Ministry of Defence have signed a licensing agreement for the Ukrainian Octopus interceptor drone. The announcement was made by Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Denys Shmyhal.

According to him, the UK plans to launch mass production of these interceptors, potentially reaching several thousand units per month. All drones produced will be handed over to Ukraine to strengthen its air defence.

Octopus is a Ukrainian interceptor drone developed within Ukraine’s Security and Defence Forces. It is designed to shoot down Shaheds and other drones of this type. Octopus can operate at night, under jamming, and at low altitudes.

Previously, the commander of one of Ukraine’s leading air-defence drone units told Defender Media, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Octopus is among the most effective tools for downing Shaheds, although it remains available to the military in only limited numbers. Scaling up production, he noted, is very good news.

Plans to manufacture Octopus in the UK were first mentioned in early October 2025, when UK Defence Secretary Luke Pollard told Bloomberg that the country would very quickly set up production of roughly 2,000 drones per month.

Ukraine also plans to scale up domestic production of Octopus: two weeks ago, the Ministry of Defence announced that the technology had already been transferred to the first three manufacturers, with another eleven preparing their production lines.

Shmyhal called the agreement a historic precedent that will enable the production abroad of Ukrainian drones that have proven effective against Shaheds.