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 one of Europe's biggest arms manufacturers.

A Belfast factory is set to supply 5,000 air defence missiles to Ukraine as part of a deal announced by the British prime minister. The Thales factory, which is located in east Belfast, had previously been awarded a contract to manufacture 650 lightweight multirole missiles (LMMs) for the country.

The new contract, initially valued at £1.16bn with potential extensions up to £500m, will see Thales Northern Ireland working alongside a Ukrainian industry partner.