The National Wealth Fund is putting £113 million into UFORCE, a Ukrainian-founded but UK-headquartered defence technology company, as part of a $700 million (over £525 million) Series A funding round, the Ministry of Defence announced on 12 November.
The money will fund an expansion of UFORCE’s UK operations, covering engineering, training and production, alongside investment in a British supply chain. According to the MOD, more than 70% of the content of each UK-built boat will come from British suppliers, with hulls, engines, electronics and fit-out all sourced domestically.
What UFORCE does
UFORCE develops autonomous and uncrewed systems for sea, land and air that the MOD describes as combat-proven, having been developed on the Ukrainian frontline. The government says the expansion will create hundreds of high-skilled jobs in engineering, software, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing in the UK.
The MOD says the UK will become a base to support allies including the nations of the Joint Expeditionary Force, with a particular focus on operating capabilities for Northern seas. The announcement also states that UFORCE will develop and sponsor apprenticeships with UK universities and colleges, though no figures on apprenticeship numbers or locations are given in the release.
Who is backing it and why
The investment comes through the National Wealth Fund, a government-backed body. Chancellor John Healey said the deal would mean “more high-skilled jobs, new investment and a stronger British Armed Forces,” calling it exactly what the Fund was set up to do. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK had moved from training Ukraine to being trained by Ukraine, and that the investment would “create high-skilled jobs, spur innovation and strengthen our warfighting readiness.”
The release frames the deal as part of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, intended to deepen defence industrial ties between the two countries.
The demonstration aboard HMS Prince of Wales
To showcase the technology, Streeting piloted a UFORCE MV7 uncrewed vessel, part of the Magura family, from aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Norway. The vessel itself was located more than 1,500 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal, according to the MOD, illustrating the remote command-and-control capability underpinning the systems.
What it means for the UK
For UK suppliers, the headline figure is that more than seven in ten pounds spent on each UK-built boat will go to British firms covering hulls, engines, electronics and fit-out, a concrete commitment to domestic manufacturing rather than imported components. For jobseekers and graduates, the announcement points to “hundreds” of new roles in engineering, software, AI and advanced manufacturing, plus apprenticeships linked to universities and colleges, although the release does not specify numbers, locations or start dates for these positions.
The MOD release does not state when the Series A round will formally close, how much of the $700 million total has already been secured from other investors, or precisely where in the UK the expanded engineering and production sites will be based. Readers in the defence supply chain and those seeking the new roles should watch for further detail from UFORCE or the National Wealth Fund on timing, site locations and recruitment as the expansion proceeds.