In a major boost to Ukraine’s drone war effort, the UK has pledged 100,000 UAVs by spring 2025, part of a broader strategy to modernize warfare, deter Russia, and drive defense innovation.
Days after Ukraine carried out its drone strikes that hit Russian aircraft at multiple remote air bases, the UK government pledged to provide Kyiv with upwards of 100,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by next spring. The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) has delivered tens of thousands of drones to Ukraine as part of the UK’s £350 million ($473.8 million) military support package.
The pledge to supply 100,000 additional drones represents a tenfold increase from the number provided over the past year.
Kyiv’s forces have employed drones as a force multiplier against the Russian military since the start of the more than three-year-long war, with the UAVs playing a critical role in stopping the Kremlin’s tanks and other armored vehicles.
The highly maneuverable first-person view (FPV) drones have been employed to carry out the strikes on high-value targets. At the same time, interceptor UAVs have been successful in countering Russia’s missile and drone attacks. New fiber optic drones, which are tethered by a cable and therefore can’t be jammed by electronic warfare (EW) systems, are now being utilized by both sides.
Among the UAVs already provided to Ukraine in the past year have been low-cost drones that can drop explosives on an adversary’s tanks and forward positions. According to the UK’s MoD, those low-cost, along with Ukraine’s FPV drones, have accounted for 60-70 percent of the damage inflicted on Russia’s military hardware.
Drone Warfare Is the Future
The British military will also increase its use of drones, based on experiences learned from Ukraine. The Labour government has pledged to invest £4 billion in autonomous systems and drones for the UK Armed Forces as part of the larger Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published on Monday. The plan called for the British Army to transition into a more lethal and technologically driven force that could counter emerging threats.
“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,” the MoD announced on Wednesday afternoon.
London has committed to increasing its defense spending to 2.5 percent of the UK’s GDP by April 2027.
“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,” UK Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement.
“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 national security,” Healey added.
“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.”
The UK Develops More High-Tech Weapons
The UK has already been developing directed energy weapons (DEWs), including the DragonFire, a laser-based system that could be outfitted on at least four of its six Type 45 destroyers. The laser-directed energy weapon can engage targets at the speed of light. It could be effective at countering drone threats while being far more cost-effective than surface-to-air (SAM) missiles.
In addition, efforts are underway to develop an anti-drone/missile truck based on Raytheon’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS), which has been integrated into a British Army Wolfhound armored combat vehicle. The platform has been tested, including familiarizing British Army soldiers.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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