UK Announces Urgent New Air Defence Package for Ukraine Worth Over Half a Billion Pounds
New half a billion pound package of air defence for Ukraine, including GBP150 million for NATO PURL, and additional 1,000 UK-manufactured missiles.
The UK has announced it will urgently provide new air defence missiles and systems worth over £500 million to protect Ukraine from Putin’s brutal attacks on energy sites and homes, as the Defence Secretary co-chairs the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group today (12th February 2026) at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The Defence Secretary will confirm that the UK will for the first time provide £150 million to the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which ensures the rapid delivery of air defence interceptors to defend Ukraine’s skies.
The PURL initiative sees NATO coordinating the purchase of world-class defence equipment from the United States for the defence of Ukraine.
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At the same time, the UK is set to deliver an additional 1,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs), manufactured in Belfast, that will be critical to defending Ukrainian infrastructure and cities from Russia’s escalating drone and missile attacks.
This £390 million deal builds on the deepening collaboration between UK and Ukrainian industry to transfer production and support of Rapid Ranger launchers and command and control vehicles to Ukraine.
The coming months will also see the UK deliver an additional 1,200 air defence missiles and 200,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine’s defenders through the Air Defence Consortium (ADC).
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:
"As we approach the fifth year of Putin’s full scale invasion, the UK
and our allies are more committed than ever to supporting Ukraine."
"I’m proud of the UK’s continued leadership and pleased to confirm a new half a billion pound package of air defence, including £150 million for PURL, to help Ukrainians defend against Putin’s relentless drone and missile attacks."
The UDCG meeting of 50 nations will be co-chaired by the UK and the German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, and attended by Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Ukraine’s supporters will discuss the country’s key military needs for 2026, share battlefield insights, plan equipment deliveries, and identify the gaps that need to be addressed.
The UK stepped up to co-lead the Ukraine Defence Contact Group with Germany, as well as the Coalition of the Willing with France, last year. Both the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary have been clear that the UK’s national security – the foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change – starts in Ukraine.
Feb 13, 2026
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Shield AI Selected as Mission Autonomy Provider for the USAF CCA Program
Hivemind autonomy software will fly aboard Anduril's Fury (YFQ-44A)
Under the program, Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software has successfully integrated on Anduril’s Fury (YFQ-44A) aircraft and is supporting system-level testing in preparation for flight demonstrations expected in the coming months.
“Shield AI is proud to be named a mission autonomy provider supporting the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program,” said Gary Steele, CEO of Shield AI.
“The Air Force is moving with urgency to explore how autonomy can reshape air combat, and we have spent years preparing for this—building, testing, and flying mission autonomy in the real world. We will work relentlessly to deliver and to help advance the next era of airpower alongside the Air Force and its industry partners.”
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“Delivering mission autonomy in real-world combat conditions is hard, which is why Shield AI has spent more than a decade building Hivemind and the technical and operational foundation to do it right,” said Christian Gutierrez, vice president of Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI. “Our team brings proven experience fielding mission-critical autonomy on complex weapon systems, deep operational understanding across domains, and a development model built for speed. We value the opportunity to work with the U.S. Air Force on the future of mission autonomy.”
Hivemind is Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) compliant, platform-agnostic, and has demonstrated A-GRA-aligned autonomy across multiple government and industry test efforts, including work with General Atomics’ MQ-20 Avenger, Northrop Grumman’s Talon IQ™ autonomous ecosystem, U.S. Navy BQM-177 test aircraft, and the Airbus UH-72A Lakota helicopter.
Feb 13, 2026
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Hellenic Navy Procures Camcopter S-100 UAS for New FDI Frigates
The Hellenic Navy has signed a contract to procure ship-based CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) to be deployed on the Hellenic Navy’s Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) Belharra-class frigates, namely HS (Hellenic Ship) Kimon, Nearchos and Formion.
- The HS (Hellenic Ship) Kimon, which arrived in Greece in January 2026, will be equipped with the CAMCOPTER® S-100 in spring 2026.
- Another system will be operated from land and used for training, as well as to enhance operator proficiency. The training of the initial Greek CAMCOPTER® S-100 crews is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026.
The remaining S-100 systems will be ship-based and deployed from the Hellenic Navy’s Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) Belharra-class frigates, namely HS (Hellenic Ship) Nearchos and Formion. HS Nearchos is scheduled for late 2026, while HS Formion is expected to arrive by early 2027. The French Naval Group-built frigates are pre-fitted for the CAMCOPTER® S-100 integration, enabling rapid installation and operational introduction.
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Equipped with a Wescam MX-10 EO/IR camera gimbal and an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch, the S-100 systems will enhance the Hellenic Navy’s frigate fleet operations across a wide range of missions, such as maritime security, search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring, control of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW).
“We are extremely proud that the CAMCOPTER® S-100 is the UAS of choice for the Hellenic Navy. With its proven maritime performance, endurance and payload capacity, the S-100 will provide commanders with extended situational awareness, further enhancing the operational capabilities of the Hellenic Navy’s surface forces”, said Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group
Feb 13, 2026
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Wingcopter and TAF Industries Establish JV to Scale Production of Reconnaissance Drones in Germany for Ukraine
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Hypersonic Missiles Development Accelerated by New Contract
UK Spends Over GBP400M on Long-range Weapons As Cooperation Scales Up With European Allies
Hypersonic Missiles Development Accelerated by New Contract
The development of the new hypersonic missiles will speed up thanks to a GBP12 million contract which will benefit British-based businesses.
A £12 million investment in hypersonic missiles and systems has been made with Warrington-based engineering contractor, Amentum UK.
Supported by Ebeni and Synthetik, based in Wiltshire and London respectively, they will deliver engineering expertise to develop the design for the hypersonic system, which will be demonstrated through flight testing before being adapted into prototype missiles able to operate at extreme speeds and temperatures required for hypersonic flight.
These efforts will build the UK’s sovereign hypersonic missile capability, strengthening our national security and our industrial partnership with NATO allies.
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The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) highlighted the importance of hypersonic missiles to modern warfighting and the advances announced today will help deliver on the SDR conclusions. Building sovereign capability of these long-range, high-speed precision weapons will help protect the UK and our allies, and boost NATO deterrence.
The Government is delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said:
In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence. This means moving quicker to develop and buy the cutting-edge technologies our Armed Forces need for modern warfighting.
We are making defence an engine for growth. This contract will accelerate the UK’s development of sovereign hypersonic missile capability, strengthen our national security and back British workers.
This award builds on significant momentum within the hypersonics programme since July 2024. 124 suppliers, of which over 50% are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have been awarded 22 contracts across a range of different technology and capability areas to progress our hypersonics capability. The total estimated value of contracts awarded since July 2024 is £48 million, with a notable proportion of funds flowing to SMEs.
A proportion of the contract will flow directly to SME partners Ebeni and Synthetik, who have been integral to developing the solution from the outset. The partnership includes reverse mentoring arrangements which will reduce barriers to entry for smaller businesses and promote collaborative working across the supply chain.
Awarding of the contract took only 31 days after the invitation to tender, delivering against the Government’s pledge to speed up lengthy procurement processes. The MOD’s Commercial X team is fulfilling its mission to deliver ground-breaking technology and innovation quickly, by modernising Defence’s approach to acquisition while cutting bureaucracy.
Rupert Pearce, National Armaments Director, said:
"This contract represents exactly the kind of innovative partnership
approach that the Defence Industrial Strategy demands, bringing together
expertise from across Defence, large companies, SMEs, and academia to
deliver at pace."
"This Industry Mission Partner model breaks down traditional organisational boundaries and creates the collaborative environment we need to deliver this critical sovereign capability. We are not only advancing our hypersonic ambitions but also strengthening our defence industrial base and supporting jobs across the UK."
Cdr Paul Greason, Team Hypersonics (UK) Programme Director, said:
"Successfully launching the Industry Mission Partner contract is a
significant achievement for Team Hypersonics (UK). It follows extensive
industry engagement across the Hypersonics Technologies &
Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) suppliers to prepare for swift
commercial activity to maintain challenging timelines."
"Delivering against our stated intent was as important for MOD as it is for Industry and I am grateful to my team for meeting this challenge which was fundamental to establishing a successful partnership."
Armentum and its subcontractors Ebeni Limited and Synthetik Applied Technologies UK Ltd will work as part of a fully integrated Team Hypersonics, established to deliver MOD’s ambition to field a Hypersonic Strike Capability, developing a weapons system demonstrator by the end of the decade.
Feb 16, 2026
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