A new defence technology company bringing Ukrainian battlefield-tested autonomous systems to allied militaries has launched globally with its headquarters in the United Kingdom.
UFORCE announced its launch alongside a $50 million seed funding round, which it described as the largest initial seed round for a defence start-up in the UK. The company said the investment values the firm at more than $1 billion and will support the expansion of manufacturing and development of next-generation autonomous systems. The funding round was led by Lakestar and Shield Capital, according to the company.
The firm aims to unify Ukrainian defence technology developers and manufacturers into a single platform designed to deliver combat-proven autonomous capabilities to allied militaries. UFORCE said its systems, including aerial, maritime and ground unmanned platforms, have been used extensively during the war in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
According to the company, its platforms have carried out hundreds of thousands of verified combat missions. It said the systems have conducted precision strikes at ranges of up to 1,000 kilometres during Ukrainian operations against Russian forces.
“Ukraine didn’t just adapt to modern warfare, it reinvented it,” said UFORCE co-founder and chief executive Oleg Rogynskyy. “We built a company that can take these combat-proven, not slide-deck-proven, systems and deliver them to the allies now facing similar and immediate threats.”
The company said its technologies are designed to provide layered defence against emerging threats, including drones and rockets. It argued that conflicts in Ukraine and recent attacks involving Iranian-designed Shahed drones have highlighted gaps in existing air defence systems.
According to UFORCE, its platforms can offer defensive capabilities at lower cost than traditional missile-based air defence systems. The company highlighted maritime unmanned surface vessels such as the MAGURA platform, which it said are capable of attacking ships and launching low-cost interceptors against aerial threats.
The firm said it has already built a growing international presence, operating across 15 locations in six allied countries with a workforce of more than 1,000 personnel based in locations including Kyiv, London and Silicon Valley. It also said its order book for 2025 has reached nine figures and is growing rapidly across several allied markets.
“What we are seeing in Ukraine is the future of warfare, effective, faster and less costly to develop, and with a team that is relentlessly adaptive and creative,” said Klaus Hommels, founder and chairman of Lakestar. “UFORCE is how capability scales to democratic partners and allies.”
Oleksiy Honcharuk, chair of UFORCE’s board, said the company also aims to channel investment from Western partners into Ukraine’s defence technology sector.
“UFORCE represents a true win-win: it brings investment from democratic nations into Ukraine while directly strengthening the security of those same democracies,” he said. “Technologies shaped by Ukraine’s unique battlefield experience are already proving to be game-changers.”
Raj Shah, managing partner at Shield Capital, said the systems had already demonstrated their effectiveness under combat conditions.
“This is not theoretical research and development,” he said. “The UFORCE systems have been battle-proven under electronic warfare, GPS-denied environments and kinetic threats.”
UFORCE said the launch also represents one of the first concrete industrial outcomes linked to the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Agreement, which aims to deepen cooperation between the two countries across defence, security and technology.
The company’s platform includes a range of autonomous systems developed in Ukraine, including aerial strike drones, unmanned surface vessels and ground robotic systems, as well as command-and-control software designed to coordinate operations across multiple domains.
Brilliant to see this!
Their stuff will still be cheaper to buy, even with a proper supply chain ( not the usual cost cuts by looking for cheaper sources like, China )
How about a version of battle-tested Magura 😁🤔😯 Yes, please!
They have some good stuff. And I really hope our armed forces invest in it
This is probably the best way to give an immediate boost to uk defence design, production and supply capabilities even export, while inspiring uk originating companies to debut and grow with and along side them, all equally learning, adapting, collaborating and competing in an environment where investment is finally becoming available to sustain them too. If we are (should the Govt get its act together) to quickly build capability it’s going forthe most part developments like this to give Army, Navy and even Air forces useful and affordable new assets to exploit from incumbent platforms. About the only true positive in the short term.
Interestingly the US and gulf states are asking Ukraine for anti drone systems… it’s a bit ironic.