Britain to buy thousands of drones and vows faster rollout

The Ministry of Defence says it is accelerating the development and adoption of uncrewed systems, while acknowledging that regulation remains a major barrier, following an exchange in the House of Commons during Defence questions.

Responding to a question on uncrewed capabilities, Defence Minister Al Carns told MPs that the government is expanding procurement at scale. He said the MOD plans to buy “up to 5,400 drones” in 2024, with numbers expected to rise to “8,000 in 2026”, according to the department. Carns also confirmed that a UK uncrewed systems Centre of Excellence will be launched later this year to improve coordination across defence, industry and academia.

Labour MP Fred Thomas warned that fragmented regulation across multiple departments and regulators is slowing progress. He described the current framework as “stifling” for innovators and military users alike, and said meaningful reform would require cross-government coordination. Thomas asked whether the minister would convene departments and regulators to address the issue collectively.

Carns agreed that regulation is constraining development and pointed to lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine. He told the House that “the majority of casualties in the front line in Ukraine are caused by uncrewed systems”, adding that, according to the government’s assessment, uncrewed platforms have demonstrated decisive effects across maritime and air domains. He said the new Centre of Excellence will act as “a centralised body of expertise to cut across the regulation and align regulatory freedoms with defence.”

He added: “Enough is enough when it comes to regulation. We need to get on with it and we’re going to double down over the next 12 months.”

Conservative MP Rebecca Smith raised concerns about maritime autonomy, arguing that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Workboat Code is preventing autonomous vessels from even being licensed to operate in UK waters. She said this was holding back innovation in areas such as Plymouth, where several defence firms are based.

Carns acknowledged that testing and trialling in both airspace and maritime environments is “full of regulatory issues and hurdles”. He said the MOD has held “a couple of meetings with the Department for Transport” and now has “a firm grasp of the problem”. The next step, he said, is to “unlock legislation to ensure it’s easier and faster for those companies to develop cutting world technology and get it into the open market, but also procure it for defence.”