Ukrainian-British Octopus Drones Could Help Protect Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom may deploy Ukrainian-British Octopus anti-aircraft drones to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz from potential Iranian attacks.

The Sunday Times reported on this.

A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said that several options are currently being discussed with allies and partners to ensure the safety of shipping in the region.

One of the options under consideration is the use of autonomous mine-hunting drones operated by the Royal Navy’s Mine and Threat Exploitation Group (MTXG), which are currently deployed in the region.

The possible use of Octopus drones is also being considered to counter Iranian Shahed-type drones. Thousands of these drones are produced every month for Ukraine to be used against Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.

One of The Telegraph’s sources said that Ukraine will remain the priority for the supply of these systems despite their possible use in the Middle East.

As previously reported, the United Kingdom was the first country to officially begin discussing the involvement of Ukrainian specialists, and now joint technologies, in countering Iranian drones in the Middle East.

In addition, it is known that the Pentagon and at least one Gulf country are in talks about the possible purchase of Ukrainian interceptor drones to defend against Iranian Shahed drones.

Octopus

The Octopus project became the first joint defense project under an innovative agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom on the exchange of military technologies.

The official name of the system prepared for serial production is Octopus-100. However, in the public space and in the media the system is more often referred to simply by its base name, Octopus.

In the future, Octopus drones could become part of a defense system designed to protect military facilities and critical infrastructure not only in Ukraine, but also in the United Kingdom and other NATO countries.

They were officially presented to the President of Ukraine for the first time in October 2025.

Their technical specifications, as well as the cost of the system, remain undisclosed.

These drones are manufactured under license by several companies, including TAF Industries, UNWAVE, and SKYRIPER.