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.

The North’s First Minister has said she is “incredulous” at a large order for a Belfast plant to supply missiles for Ukraine. The Thales plant in east Belfast is to supply 5,000 air defence missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth up to £1.6 billion (€2 billion), the British government has announced.

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.