Overview

• The Lightweight Multirole Missiles were built by Thales in Belfast under the UK gifting programme and are used to counter Russian missiles and one-way attack drones.
• The delivery aligns with a £1.6 billion plan to integrate LMM more deeply into Ukraine’s air-defence network, strengthening sovereign capabilities.
• Minister Luke Pollard led a UK trade delegation to Kyiv during an industry conference that drew hundreds of NATO and allied firms, with more than 30 UK–Ukraine joint ventures reported.
• Ukrainian drone maker UKRSpec Systems will invest £200 million in two UK facilities, a move expected to create 500 high‑skilled jobs.
• Thales’ ongoing work in Northern Ireland is creating about 200 new jobs and sustaining 700 across the supply chain, while Programme LYRA and the announced Project OCTOPUS advance joint interceptor drone development as a lower‑cost air‑defence option.