VID20250303183213 The Thales missile factory in Belfast to supply 5,000 air defence missiles to Ukraine The British Prime Minister has announced today

The Thales missile factory in Belfast is to supply 5,000 air defence missiles to Ukraine, the prime minister has announced.The deal is worth up to £1.6bn and will involve recruiting 200 additional staff.Thales is a French-owned company which is one of Europe's biggest arms manufacturers.The order is for lightweight multirole missiles (LMMs) which Ukrainian forces are already using.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the order as he laid out a four point plan to "reach peace and defend Ukraine".East Belfast MP and DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the order is "hugely significant" given the "turbulence" in international relations and the acknowledgement of the "skill and ingenuity" of the Thales team.A £162m contract announced in September last year saw 650 LMMs supplied to Ukraine as an initial order to ramp up production, with the first deliveries in December.The new order is much bigger: it is worth an initial £1.16bn with the potential for around a further £500m of work to be added in collaboration with a Ukrainian industry partner.The partner firm will manufacture launchers and command and control vehicles for the missiles in Ukraine.