Britain has granted Ukraine a license to produce Stone Cloak electronic warfare systems domestically, the Ukrainian and British governments announced July 27 during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the UK. The devices, roughly the size of a tablet computer, are mounted on Ukrainian drones to make them invisible to Russian air defense systems. London had previously supplied thousands of the units to Kyiv.
Zelensky became the first foreign leader received by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office a week earlier after the resignation of Keir Starmer. The meeting took place aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at Portsmouth naval base.
"Volodymyr, you are the first leader I have welcomed since becoming prime minister. And that is no accident. It is an intention to proclaim a very clear message: we remain with Ukraine 100%," Burnham said. He stressed that Russia "should not doubt our resolve" and pledged not to relent until a "long-term and just peace for Ukraine" is achieved.
Zelensky confirmed the agreement and thanked the British side. "Grateful to the UK for today's decision to provide Ukraine with electronic warfare technology to protect Ukrainian drones — it will definitely be useful on the battlefield," the president wrote.
British officials explained that issuing the license for mass production and combat use of Stone Cloak also benefits the UK itself: it will allow collection of performance data that can be used in developing next-generation drones and missiles. In the future, such electronic warfare systems are expected to be installed not only on drones but also on some cruise missiles, including under the Brakestop project to develop low-cost cruise missiles.
After the London visit, Zelensky planned to travel to Washington on July 28 for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.