The National Wealth Fund is investing £113 million in UFORCE, a Ukrainian-founded defence technology company, as part of a $700 million Series A funding round that will see the firm expand its UK operations and manufacturing base. The investment will enable UFORCE to grow its engineering, training and production team across Britain and invest in a British supply chain, with more than 70 per cent of the content in each UK-built vessel sourced from British suppliers, including hulls, engines, electronics and fit-out.
UFORCE develops combat-proven autonomous and uncrewed systems for sea, land and air operations. The expansion is expected to create hundreds of high-skilled jobs in engineering, software, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. The company will also develop and sponsor apprenticeships in partnership with universities and colleges across the UK. The UK will serve as a base to support allied nations, particularly those in the Joint Expeditionary Force, with a focus on capabilities for operating in Northern seas.
The government has framed the investment as strengthening both economic and national security. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting demonstrated the technology aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Norway, remotely piloting a UFORCE MV7 uncrewed vessel located more than 1,500 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal. The investment deepens the defence industrial relationship between the UK and Ukraine under the 100 Year Partnership agreed between the two countries.
The expansion will scale British production, engineering and delivery of UFORCE's systems for the UK, Ukraine and allied nations while strengthening domestic defence supply chains. The UK will become a major hub for the software, command-and-control and production capabilities supporting UFORCE's global growth. Government officials said the investment demonstrates Britain's support for Ukraine and positions the country as a leading centre for innovation in defence technologies increasingly important to national security and economic resilience.