New defence innovation hub unveiled by Ukraine company in £200m investment spree
The development marks a significant milestone in a growing UK–Ukraine partnership in defence innovation and advanced manufacturing. Suffolk and Ukraine are almost 1700 miles apart but their hearts and minds are clearly in the same place.
The official opening ceremony was attended by Freeport East, alongside Defence Minister Luke Pollard and General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK.
The opening follows Ukrspecsystems’ £200 million investment in East Anglia, supported by Freeport East. It showcases the potential for collaboration across the UK’s military, SME, commercial, and educational ecosystem, all in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
The programme featured a formal opening ceremony, a guided tour of the new factory showcasing advanced drone technologies, and a roundtable discussion led by the Minister, bringing together representatives from government and industry. Discussions focused on strengthening international cooperation, building resilient supply chains, and supporting long-term collaboration in advanced and autonomous systems.
The UK Minister said the opening of the factory demonstrated the importance of sustained engagement with Ukrainian partners and the role that innovation-led investment can play in driving economic growth, skills development, and international cooperation.
“He said: Our resolve to support Ukraine is stronger than ever, and we are backing Ukraine’s defiant Armed Forces as they fight for peace.
“Ukrspecsystems’ new factory is a vote of confidence in UK support and underlines the deepening cooperation between our nations’ defence industries. This investment will create up to 500 new jobs in the East of England, drive defence as an engine for growth, and help Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s aggression.”
Representatives from Freeport East described the opening as further evidence of the Freeport’s role as a gateway for inward investment, supporting the transition of international partnerships from commitment to operational delivery, and enabling collaborations that deliver benefits for both the UK and its partners.
With the East of England having significant capability and expertise in relevant sectors, including telecommunications, autonomous vehicles and data analytics, there are strong prospects to enable growing economic clusters in the region linked to this investment.
The investment is already impacting across Suffolk with suppliers from as afar a field as Felixstowe already lined up to contribute to the supply chain.
Rory Chamberlain, Managing Director at Ukrspecsystems UK, said: “Four years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this factory delivers what matters: secure supply, secure resource, and sustained support for Ukraine.
“By establishing production in the UK, Ukrspecsystems are increasing the resilience of the UK’s defence industrial base, and providing a trusted supply chain that ensures that the drones relied upon by the Ukrainian Armed Forces can be built and scaled without interruption.
“Delivered with UK and Ukrainian Government support and in partnership with British SMEs, this is ‘Made with Ukraine’ in action - embodying the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership through real industrial capability, happening now in East Anglia.”