The UK is ramping up its support for Ukraine with a target to
achieve a tenfold increase in production and procurement of
drones to deliver to Ukraine this year.
With more than 10,000 drones delivered to Ukraine last year by
the UK, tens of thousands more have already been delivered
towards an ambitious new target of 100,000 drones for the current
financial year. The record £350m investment in drones for Ukraine
is part of the UK's £4.5bn military support this year.
As Ukraine's Armed Forces have demonstrated the effectiveness of
drone warfare in defending against Putin's illegal invasion, the
UK has been doubling down on investment in drones with British
defence companies, including small to medium sized enterprises,
supporting the UK economy and jobs, as part of the government's
Plan for Change.
Convening a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG)
with his German counterpart, the Defence Secretary will also
announce that the UK will spend a further £247m this year on
training the Armed Forces of Ukraine, supporting its highly
successful programme of training for Ukrainian recruits on
British soil, Operation Interflex, which has provided more than
55,000 Ukrainian recruits with basic combat training since 2022 –
with contributions from 13 partner nations.
Ukrainian units have confirmed that UK-provided drones have
helped stabilise parts of the frontline by driving back Russian
attacks and protecting Ukrainian lives, and Defence Intelligence
has confirmed that drones currently kill more people than
artillery on the frontline in Ukraine.
As well as this, the Defence Secretary will confirm the completed
delivery of 140,000 artillery shells by the UK for Ukraine since
the start of 2025, in a vital boost for Ukraine's frontline
troops.
As part of the Strategic Defence Review – published on Monday –
the government announced more than £4bn for autonomous systems
and drones for the UK Armed Forces, to help learn the lessons
from Ukraine. This follows the government's historic commitment
to increase defence spending to 2.5% of UK GDP by April 2027.
The Defence Secretary is set to join the German Defence Minister,
Boris Pistorius, to host Ukrainian Defence Minister, Rustem
Umerov, at the latest meeting of the 50-nation strong UDCG at
NATO headquarters today (Wednesday).
Defence Secretary MP said:
“The UK is stepping up its support for Ukraine by delivering
hundreds of thousands more drones this year and completing a
major milestone in the delivery of critical artillery ammunition.
“We are learning lessons every day from the battlefield in
Ukraine, which British companies are using to develop advanced
new drones to help protect Ukraine's civilians and also
strengthen our own national security.
“Defence is an engine for growth, delivering on this government's
Plan for Change, and this investment will help keep us secure at
home and strong abroad, while ensuring the UK is a world leader
in rapidly developing drone technology.”
To provide further training and equipment supplies for Ukraine's
forces, the UK will also invest £40m in the trust fund for
NATO's NSATU mission for Ukraine, for which the UK is the
framework nation, which is prioritising rapid procurement of
spare parts and fuel for vehicles, training, and consumables to
support troops in combat.
Artillery is critical to Ukraine's war effort, holding back
Putin's forces from making significant gains on the frontline.
With supply chains around the world under unprecedented strain,
securing reliable sources for artillery ammunition is vital for
Ukraine's defence.
Many of the drones built in the UK harness new cutting-edge
technology, from highly manoeuvrable first-person view (FPV)
drones to precisely attack Russian targets, to interceptor drones
designed to boost Ukraine's air defence by destroying Russian
missiles and drones, to new fibre-optic drones which are tethered
via a cable which safeguards against jamming from Russian
electronic warfare systems.
The UK has also been providing low-cost drones which can drop
explosives on Russian positions. Between this type of drone and
FPV systems, these two types of drone are reported to be
responsible for 60-70% of damage currently caused to Russian
equipment.
The UK is fully committed to working with allies to step up
support to ensure Ukraine remains in the strongest possible
position, which is why £4.5 billion of military support will be
provided this year – more than ever before.
