UFORCE, a defence-technology company that builds uncrewed platforms for sea, land and air, has raised £530 million in a Series A round co-led by Valor Equity Partners and the UK National Wealth Fund. The round values UFORCE at £4.51 billion. The U.S–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund also took part, alongside Menlo Ventures, Xantium and Hiro Capital. Existing investors Shield Capital, Ballistic Ventures, Lakestar and Squadra also increased their stakes. The money will support continuous manufacturing in Ukraine and allied nations.
UFORCE builds autonomous uncrewed platforms across sea, land and air, and the AI software, orchestration and command-and-control (C2) layer that operates them. Its products include the MAGURA family of uncrewed surface vessels, the NEMESIS family of strike platforms, the LIUT family of ground robotic platforms, the PREDATOR turret family of counter-UAS systems, and C2 software to control them. The company was founded in Ukraine and is headquartered in London, with major hubs in Kyiv and Washington, DC, and operations across Europe, the United States and Asia. Its goal is to make defence a hundred times cheaper than offensive operations.
NEMESIS Class 1 heavy strike UAV platforms have made more than 300,000 combat flights and have been adopted across 100+ units on the Ukrainian battlefield. UFORCE recently announced a partnership with ReconCraft to scale US manufacturing of MAGURA uncrewed surface vessels. It is a founding member of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance and has built partnerships within NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force networks. General (Ret.) Christopher Cavoli, a Partner at Valor Equity Partners and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, joins the UFORCE board.
The funding will let UFORCE expand and distribute its production capacity across the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, building platforms close to where they are needed and helping allied nations expand their sovereign manufacturing capabilities. It will support continuous production for front-line troops despite continued attacks in Ukraine, along with expanded research and development and increased production of the MAGURA, NEMESIS, LIUT and PREDATOR families. The investment from the U.S.–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund will support UFORCE's operations in Ukraine, including staffing, research and development, and new product development. UFORCE will also keep working with partners in allied nations, including converting existing maritime and automotive manufacturing capacity to support defence needs.
The war in Ukraine has shown that in an increasingly volatile world, effective defence requires systems that can keep improving as threats change. Governments and the technology ecosystem need to come together to develop cost-effective, interoperable, and autonomous platforms that are ready to fight now, and can evolve to meet future needs. They are doing that by investing in UFORCE. This investment will help us scale production for Ukraine and bring to allies solutions they can field, integrate and sustain at the speed of modern combat. UFORCE and our investors are united in our determination to make aggression unaffordable.
Ukraine has shown the world how quickly battlefield innovation can move when engineers work side by side with the people who rely on their systems. UFORCE turns that hard-won frontline experience into both unmanned systems and the operational know-how to use them effectively. I’m proud to join the board and look forward to supporting the team as it strengthens Ukraine’s defense and that of its allies.
Today’s investment is a testament to the special relationship that the UK and Ukraine have fostered. Through the National Wealth Fund’s support, UFORCE’s expansion is bringing the production, engineering and application of combat tested autonomous systems to the UK. It will help create high-skilled jobs, strengthen domestic supply chains and reinforce the UK’s position as a leading centre for innovation in technologies that are increasingly important to national security and economic resilience..
This deal is URIF’s largest investment in the emerging technology sector to date and a significant step toward mobilizing investment that strengthens Ukraine’s economic fortitude, reinforces its security, and accelerates its long-term recovery. UFORCE reflects the kind of bold, innovative Ukrainian company URIF is built to support, one helping turn Ukraine’s resilience and ingenuity into lasting economic and strategic strength for the United States, Ukraine, and our allies.
