A new strategic alliance will see a battle-tested Ukrainian unmanned aerial system (UAS) manufactured in the United Kingdom. The joint venture between Ukrainian drone specialist Skyeton and the British defense firm Prevail Partners aims to produce the Raybird drone for UK military requirements, according to a recent announcement.

The Raybird system has been extensively used in the Ukrainian conflict, where it has proven to be highly effective and resilient. The press release describes the drone as a “best-in-class” system that has flown thousands of hours in combat with extremely low loss rates.

The collaboration, named Skyeton Prevail Solutions, is designed to merge Ukrainian battlefield innovation with UK manufacturing to quickly and affordably enhance Britain’s defense capabilities.

The Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith endorsed the partnership, stating it is “an important step in developing Britain’s long-range drone manufacturing capabilities.” According to the release, he has visited Skyeton’s facilities in Ukraine and witnessed its “world-class engineers and battlefield-tested technologies.”

Justin Hedges of Prevail Partners noted that his firm identified the Raybird as a “world-leading aircraft,” prompting the venture to build it in the UK. The goal is to scale up production to continue supplying Ukraine while also integrating the drone technology for use by the UK and other Western militaries.