UK Prime Minister Starmer announced UK contracts worth 30m for drones produced by SYOS Aerospace, a New Zealand uncrewed vehicle manufacturer based in Hampshire to support Ukraine.The contract has created 45 jobs at the manufacturing facility based in Fareham, Hampshire, and supports a further nine UK based companies with subcontracts delivering on the governments Plan for Change through both growth and security.During the visit to see the training first hand, the leaders are expected to discuss plans to further step up defence and security cooperation, with defence ministers being instructed to work on a new joint defence partnership between both countries to ensure the relationship is fit for the twenty-first century.The new arrangement, which will succeed the one signed in 2015, comes after both the UK and New Zealand increased defence spending to 2.5% and 2% of GDP respectively.
It will also recognise the vital partnership between the UK and New Zealand in upholding stability and security across Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.That includes through the involvement of Royal New Zealand Navy frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, which will join the UK Carrier Strike Group, which leaves Portsmouth today, in the Indian Ocean.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:Only by working with our friends and allies and protecting our national security will we be able to deliver on our Plan for Change, putting money back in the pockets of working people through highly skilled jobs such as those we have announced today a strong and resilient economy, and greater opportunity.From the beaches of Gallipoli, to the vital work we have been doing together on Operation Interflex and our support for Ukraine, the UK and New Zealand have stood shoulder-to-shoulder for generations in pursuit of peace and stability.As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous place, I am proud how much we are doing together to support our national and economic security stepping up our defence spending, deploying our navies together in the Indo-Pacific, and continuing our work to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia.SYOS Aerospace produces a family of autonomous uncrewed systems including aerial (UAS), surface (USV), and ground (UGV) platforms.
Among these is the SA5 UAS, a vertical take-off and landing drone in the sub-25kg category powered by a proprietary 4-stroke gasoline engine.
It provides 8 to 10 hours of endurance.
The SA5 integrates SYOS AAIMS system for swarm operations, and uses MuV-NaP for GNSS-denied navigation based on optical flow or visual cues.
It can operate without preloaded maps and estimate its position using ground movement, functioning in day or night conditions.
It is intended for ISR tasks in land and maritime domains, with the ability to land on moving vessels.The SA200 UAS is another aerial system produced by SYOS.
It is an uncrewed helicopter with a 200kg payload capacity and a base range of 230km.
With an optional extended fuel tank, it can reach nearly 1000km and operate for more than 8 hours.
Designed for ISR, EW, and logistical resupply, the SA200 incorporates aviation-grade and military-standard components.
It features anti-jamming and data encryption measures to operate in environments where counter-UAS systems are present.Source: UK Government