UK Government and UK defense industry conduct their first trade mission to Ukraine and signed a series of agreements.

The United Kingdom government reported on this.

Led by the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Defence, the joint trade mission took place on 13-14 December. Meetings in Kyiv continued discussions after the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London.

During this visit, prospects between the defense companies of two countries and opportunities for joint development and production of important parts and equipment were discussed.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine signed a three-year contract with Babcock for the support and maintenance of two former mine countermeasures vessels ‘Cherkasy’ and ‘Chernihiv’ for the Navy of Ukraine, following their transfer from the UK Royal Navy.

This follows the establishment of Babcock Ukraine, with the opening of an office in-country where a dedicated team will focus on supporting Ukraine and industry partners. This move is based on the company’s broader ambitions in the Central and Eastern European region.

In turn, the British defense giant BAE Systems and AMS Integrated Solutions Ltd signed an agreement to support and maintain British-designed artillery systems, namely the M777, M119/L119 howitzers, as well as the L-131 (AS-90) self-propelled howitzers.

Under the agreement, artillery systems donated by the UK Government could be repaired and maintained in AMS’ existing maintenance centers in Ukraine, where it employs Ukrainian engineers.

Thales UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Systems manufacturer, Aerodrone. Overall, the mission was represented by British companies BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales, AMS Global, and KBR.

In addition, in 2024, British defense companies plan to visit Ukraine again to sign new agreements to expand cooperation.

As Militarnyi previously reported, Ukraine and Rheinmetall will launch the production of armored vehicles on Ukrainian territory soon.

In October, the Prime Minister and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz launched a cooperation between the Ukrainian defense industry and the German Rheinmetall. The company already produces artillery shells for Ukraine and receives new orders for them.

Previously, it became known that the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to launch the production of the first Fuchs and Lynx armored vehicles in Ukraine next year.