The UK has made clear that it wants to become a hub for defence innovation. Recent moves to welcome companies like Helsing, Stark and Anduril suggest that ambition is being put into action.
But if Britain is serious about securing its national defence, enhancing its capabilities (within the existing budget) and supporting allies, it must do more than roll out the well-trodden red carpet for the usual suspects, the US and European players.
Instead, the UK must think a bit more creatively and build an accelerated framework to onshore the world’s most battle-tested innovators: Ukraine.
Pioneers in modern warfare
The war in Ukraine has transformed the landscape of modern warfare. Out of necessity, Ukrainian engineers have pioneered technologies in drones, battlefield autonomy and electronic warfare that have outpaced many NATO systems in both development and deployment. These are not conceptual products or lab-based prototypes; they’re hardened, iterated and adapted under constant pressure on the battlefield.
In June, the UK and Ukraine struck an agreement to ‘share information and expertise,’ particularly when it comes to drones. Yet, despite the clear value of these technologies, there is currently no formal UK policy that supports Ukrainian defence startups in scaling and manufacturing in the UK. No defence-specific Innovator Founder Visa. No incentives for dual-use R&D, shared IP schemes or sovereign manufacturing partnerships. No cross-government initiative is identifying and enabling the companies producing these next-generation systems and giving them a clear pathway to set up in the UK.
Meanwhile, the UK’s new Security Strategy, its upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy and its “NATO-first, but not NATO-only” doctrine all point to the need for closer collaboration with non-traditional partners — precisely the kind of cooperation that Ukraine represents.
Ukraine’s defence sector has earned its seat at the table
In Ukraine, war has turned startups into critical infrastructure. Companies born in workshops and garages have developed tools for drone detection, automated targeting, EW jamming, secure comms and AI-driven decision support. Some are now an uncompromising necessity on the front lines.
Take Kyiv-based Kvertus, for example; its automated drone detection and suppression systems have saved over 100k lives since the invasion. Its hardware covers almost 6k frequencies (the world’s largest database) to automatically detect and suppress enemy drones targeting military, civilian and critical infrastructure. Survival on the front line without its technology is measured in minutes. The world has been so preoccupied with building drones as part of modern warfare that the ability to defend against them has almost been forgotten.
Two-year-old Huless is another example of Ukrainian ingenuity that has rapidly adapted alongside specific battlefield needs. As a key provider of drone solutions, it has integrated with six major digital communication suppliers, delivering fully equipped and operational drones that are ready to use straight out of the box. It has also partnered with four unmanned sea vehicle (USV) companies (two Ukrainian and two European) to actively integrate drone solutions into their maritime platforms. The company’s most impactful breakthrough stems from frontline collaboration in extending the operational range of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) by up to seven times. It has also developed a mission planning tool, enabling troops to select optimal routes for UGVs and relay drone positions to prevent or minimise signal loss.
Companies like these don’t need months of wargaming or years of procurement bureaucracy to prove their worth. They’ve already done that, with real soldiers, under real fire. If Europe is looking at technology that could be used to defend against any potential threat, Russian or otherwise, Ukraine is a good place to start.
But for these technologies to survive, scale and contribute to broader European defence, they need support. And Ukraine, under relentless bombardment, cannot provide the industrial base required for mass production. This is where the UK has a unique opportunity as part of its 100-year partnership with Ukraine.
The UK has an opportunity and a responsibility to act
For Ukrainian companies, relocating or expanding to the UK offers access to trusted export routes, proximity to NATO partners and a robust defence-industrial ecosystem. For the UK, it brings in proven capabilities, shorter development cycles and deeper operational knowledge of emerging threats. It can then integrate these technologies into initiatives like the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led coalition of Northern European nations, including the Baltic states and Nordic countries, alongside the Netherlands, where Ukrainian-born technology can help defend wider Europe from any potential future threat.
This isn’t charity. It’s strategy.
Yet today, there is no fast-track route for Ukrainian founders to establish defence operations in Britain. While schemes exist for some high-potential entrepreneurs, they are not fit for purpose in the national security domain, where confidentiality, manufacturing controls and Ministry of Defence (MoD) collaboration are essential.
We risk letting these companies fall through the cracks. Worse, we risk losing their technologies to jurisdictions with more open arms.
What the UK needs now: a dedicated pathway
If Britain wants to live up to its security ambitions, it needs a dedicated Accelerated Security Innovation Pathway, one that specifically targets Ukrainian defence firms whose technologies have been proven under battlefield conditions, can be applied to UK defence and are ready to scale.
This pathway should include:
- A defence-specific visa route, supported by the Home Office and MoD, for approved Ukrainian founders and technical teams.
- A bilateral UK-Ukraine Defence Tech Taskforce, to identify, evaluate and support companies that meet both strategic and security thresholds.
- Targeted funding and R&D collaboration, through the likes of the Defence and Security Accelerator, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Defence AI Centre, with export-friendly dual-use frameworks.
- Partnerships with UK-based manufacturers, especially in aerospace, electronics and robotics, to help scale production under secure conditions and without compromising IP. There must be a bilateral agreement between the UK and Ukraine where the UK can access or license IP but Ukrainian companies still have ownership of it.
These are not radical ideas. They echo what the UK is already doing, just not yet for Ukrainian innovators.
From battlefield to boardroom
In many ways, the UK has been ahead of the curve. It was one of the first to provide military support to Ukraine. It has championed the value of agile, dual-use innovation. And it has recognised that future wars will be won not just with tanks, but with semiconductors, sensors and software.
To make that vision real, we must look beyond the familiar players and seek opportunities with the unconventional. We must recognise that some of the most effective tools in today’s conflicts are being built not just in Silicon Valley or Berlin, but in Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv.
If the UK wants to build a truly resilient defence sector and help ensure Ukraine’s long-term ability to defend itself, it must do more than offer praise. It must offer pathways.
