A new version of the domestically built Octopus interceptor drone has been developed for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has already been shown to a UK delegation, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
According to the Ministry, Octopus was developed in-house by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and features an AI-based control system. The small drone is designed to destroy Shahed-type attack UAVs and has already proved effective in combat. It can operate day and night, at low altitudes, and under enemy electronic warfare.
Serial production in Ukraine began in late 2025. Kyiv also plans joint production with the United Kingdom. In November 2025, Ukraine and the UK signed a licensing agreement to manufacture the Ukrainian interceptor drone in Britain.
In January 2026, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that starting in February, Ukraine and the UK will jointly produce 1,000 Octopus drones a month. He did not say whether that number would increase.
By late 2025, the Octopus interceptor had been transferred for serial production to three Ukrainian companies, the ministry said. The number of production sites is expected to grow. At the end of last year, another 11 Ukrainian manufacturers were undergoing technical checks to produce the drone.
In 2025, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry cleared a large number of domestic and foreign drones for use by the military. Among them was the homegrown FPV drone Rarog-10, designed to destroy field fortifications, weapons and enemy armor.
