In brief
The Prime Minister has announced a landmark deal involving a Belfast factory that will manufacture 5,000 lightweight missiles for Ukrainian defense efforts, following an earlier contract for 650 units.
The Thales missile factory in Belfast is set to provide 5,000 lightweight multirole missiles (LMMs) to Ukraine, with a deal valued at up to £1.6 billion. This significant contract, announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is part of a broader strategy to support Ukraine amid ongoing conflicts and will result in the recruitment of 200 additional staff. Thales, a French-owned entity and one of Europe's largest arms manufacturers, has previously supplied 650 LMMs to Ukraine under a £162 million contract that was initiated last September. The new order, worth an initial £1.16 billion, may also include an additional £500 million slated for potential collaboration with a Ukrainian firm, which will be responsible for producing launchers and command-and-control vehicles within Ukraine. The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that this will be the largest contract awarded to Thales in Belfast to date. Defence Secretary John Healey remarked that the agreement will bolster Ukraine's capability to defend against aerial threats and act as a deterrent against any future Russian offensives. Funded through a loan facilitated by United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), the contract reinforces a prior arrangement allowing Ukraine to access support of up to £3.5 billion for acquisitions from UK industries, further solidifying international defense ties amidst the crisis in Ukraine.
