The UK has allocated £300 million of dedicated funding to military artificial intelligence programmes between 2026-27 and 2029-30, including work on targeting, command and control and underwater surveillance, according to parliamentary answers from Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard.
The figure was disclosed in response to a series of written questions from Conservative MP David Reed examining the artificial intelligence commitments contained in the Defence Investment Plan.
Pollard said: “The Defence Investment Plan provides £300 million of dedicated investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) between financial years 2026-27 and 2029-30. This comprises £100 million for Taskforce RAID (Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce), £100 million for Programme FRONTIER and other AI enablers, £80 million for Land AI Command and Control applications, and £20 million for AI supporting underwater surveillance and analysis.”
Taskforce RAID and Programme FRONTIER account for two-thirds of the dedicated funding, while the remaining £100 million is split between Army command-and-control applications and AI intended to support underwater surveillance and analysis.
The £300 million figure does not represent the entirety of defence spending involving artificial intelligence. Pollard said AI is also being incorporated into a range of larger programmes across the Armed Forces.
He said: “In addition, AI is embedded across a range of wider Defence programmes and capabilities, including the Digital Targeting Web, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Project ASGARD, the Maritime Fighting Web, the Hybrid Navy and Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”
Pollard added: “As a result, overall Defence investment that utilises AI extends beyond the dedicated AI funding lines identified in the Defence Investment Plan.”
The answers provide less certainty beyond the end of the four-year spending period. In a separate question, Reed asked specifically how much funding had been allocated to defence AI between 2030 and 2035. Pollard replied: “The Defence Investment Plan does not identify specific funding allocation for Defence Artificial Intelligence (AI) between 2030 and 2035.”
He said Defence would continue investing in specialist AI skills and developing the Defence AI Centre as its enduring organisation for AI delivery, while a new Defence Strategic Approach to AI would be used to coordinate artificial intelligence work spread across the Integrated Force.
A third parliamentary answer dealt specifically with the Defence AI Centre and its position after 2030. Pollard said: “Funding levels for the Defence AI Centre between 2030 and 2035 are not yet confirmed.”
All credit to the British government and the MoD on this, project ASGARD appears to have been a fantastic success as does the UK’s ability to make and deploy effectors that can take advantage of such a system.
Despite the Donkeys complete f**k up in the Iranian conflict it does appear that MAVEN which is similar to ASGARD was a real game changer especially when combined with platforms like F35 able to deploy SDB and HIMARS able to deploy PrSM.
It’s easy to see how with such capabilities an army can become ten times more lethal.
Unfortunately the a British army’s complete lack of defence against ballistic missiles now means it would struggle to fight even rebel forces like the Houthis who have permission ballistic missiles. That would wipe out any British army in the field by devastating its FoB and logistics nodes.