A public petition urging the UK Government to transfer surplus Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine has reached 19,204 signatures, despite a government response dismissing the proposal as impractical.
The petition, opened in April 2025, argues that the Warrior platform, once a mainstay of British armoured infantry, could still provide significant battlefield value to Ukraine, offering more protection and firepower than lighter wheeled vehicles.
With over 600 Warriors in the UK inventory, including 80 awaiting disposal and others due for retirement by 2030, the petition contends that transferring them would strengthen Ukraine’s capabilities at no new cost to the taxpayer.
On 3 July, the Ministry of Defence formally responded, stating that Warrior remains “a key platform for the British Army to fulfil the UK’s Defence Commitments.” It noted that the vehicles set for disposal were selected based on “serviceability and suitability for role,” and warned that transferring a small number could burden Ukraine with additional training and logistics complexity.
“Thanks to all those who have signed this petition for raising this issue. The Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) remains a key platform for the British Army to fulfil the UK’s Defence Commitments. Although small numbers are scheduled for disposal, these will have been selected in line with serviceability and suitability for role. As such, without substantial investment, they are not likely to offer significant capability to Ukraine and providing such small numbers would only increase the diversity of Ukraine’s armoured vehicle fleet – increasing their logistic and training burdens. We continue to test Ukrainian appetite for gifting of expiring UK kit and this will include conversations about Warrior.
Please be assured that the UK will continue to be at the heart of the international response and will continue to work with Ukraine to identify how best to help them to resist Russian aggression. This includes considering a range of platforms, weapons and equipment that could be available to meet Ukraine’s requirements and help them successfully defend their nation from threats and aggression, while ensuring that the UK and our security interests are protected. This Government remains committed to providing at least the current level of support of £3 billion each year to Ukraine for as long as it takes and supporting Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
However, signatories have continued to add their names in support. The petition has found particular momentum in Scottish urban constituencies, including Edinburgh South, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, and Edinburgh North and Leith, which together account for hundreds of signatures.
The Ministry added that the UK continues to engage Ukraine on potential transfers of legacy military equipment and affirmed its broader commitment to Kyiv, stating: “This Government remains committed to providing at least the current level of support of £3 billion each year to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Part of me still hopes the decision to scrap the upgrade program is reversed, but I suspect it’s now too late as wasn’t part of the SDSR.
If that is definitely off the tables then best use for them is fighting Russia.
What is the point in creating a petition demanding a specific action without an understanding of the practical implications of actually doing it or whether it would genuinely achieve anything? There is a significant logistical challenge in transporting them (certainly not ‘no new cost to the taxpayer’), there would be a training and logistics burden imposed on the Ukrainians if they wanted to actually deploy them, and after all that they likely wouldn’t last 5 minutes in that theatre, given that even MBTs don’t tend to. Churchill made his share of foolish mistakes but I can’t imagine he’d have faired better by taking suggestions from the crowd.
It’s more likely that those signing are concerned more about the safety of Ukraines personel and by giving them Warriors, their lives might just be a little bit safe🤔.
Maybe ?
The petition was set up regarding the 80 vehicles awaiting near-term disposal in the hope that they could be diverted to Ukraine to help in any way possible
It was NOT set up to ask for all the vehicles to be sent
Surplus. So how many in reality, as they are still used by the AI Battalions, by the RAC, by the REME.
Agree with Ian. I doubt 99% of those who signed have a clue or the slightest interest in the Army and what vehicles it is using to avoid going on foot.
Ignore.
I’m sure most won’t have considered how scarce/limited spare parts are (just take it back to the dealer or local mechanic right ?) or that the units being disposed of will have already been stripped for parts to keep the remaining fleet running.
Considering the lack of interest in defence, many would assume defence is fine and under control, the BA must already have something new (they wouldn’t know what) and would see no issue with providing vehicles that will be otherwise scrapped.
Worrior should not be taken out of UK service until there are sufficient Ajax in the field and enough ‘service time’ to evaluate their performance and capabilities in daily use. I know there has been exhaustive testing, and the resulting delay is nailing the programme behind schedule. Worrier can be up-armoured as seen in Iraq, and nothing short of this kit would survive on the front line, and I have no doubt it would serve very well in Ukrainian hands.
I’m concerned by the noticeable lack of detail about armoured vehicles in the SDR and how the Army will have to cope with the 1,000+ new vehicles with no hint about follow-on orders for Ajax family and Boxer apart from 116 howitzers. I still think retention of 300 Warrior in the war reserve would be a wise option until at least 2035, and gifting Ukraine the remaining vehicles should not be discounted.
I think we have to wait for the Defence Industry Plan; or is that the Industrial Strategy, Defence Sector Plan 🤔
The Defence Industrial Plan could be interesting this year, there’s been a couple of discussions on X indicating that with the new National Armaments Director coming into post that once selected there could be a number of larger announcements for procurement.
If an IFV based on Ares is actually becoming a reality, there’s a chance this will be announced sooner rather than later with the Ajax line completing orders in 2028 and needing orders or facing closure.
I thought Andy Start, the new National Armaments Director was already in post?
Interesting speculation about an Ares based IVF. Viable choice, UK jobs. What’s not to like?
He’s technically an interim NAD.
One problem with Ares is that no other country uses it. We don’t automatically put upgrades into our budgets and if we can’t even share the costs, MOD will probably never upgrade it. While it will start out as cutting edge, it will degrade slowly until it’s obsolete 20 or 30 years from now. At best, there may be a Challenger solution, where half will be upgraded and the capability will shrink, becoming too niche to function.
Maurice, I am sure you realise that Ajax is a recce vehicle and not an Infantry carrier, thus not a Warrior IFV replacement. As Daniele has said the main users for Warrior are the Infantry (IFV), REME (both the Repair and also the Recovery variants) and the RAC (in the interim recce vehicle role).
Once there is sufficient Ajax in RAC hands to enable them to release their temporarily ‘borrowed’ Warriors back to the Ashchurch Depot, that is only part of the Warrior story. Under current published MoD plans then Boxers also need to replace the Warriors elsewhere (Inf and REME mainly).
The SDR is never a work which embraces detail – the pages on the army (or Land Forces) are very few and is broad order with no details stated. We must wait for the Defence Command Paper (or White Paper) to come out in some months times for the detail.
Once Warrior is finally declared Obsolete they will be coralled in Ashchurch and disposed of in one way or another – we do not keep vehicles declared Obsolete in war reserve.
I find the MoD objection to gifting any Warrior that are surplus to requirements now to Ukraine disingenuous. There was no difficulty gifting a mere 14 tanks to UKR, some 18 months ago.
Doubtless we are hanging on to Warrior but not upgrading it as the ever popular ‘do nothing’ option.
‘…rather than a planned and managed transition from older forces to new, the UK has instead been left with an eclectic mix of the cutting-edge sitting uneasily alongside the obsolete – for which replacements are often late, or, where weapons upgrades lag, new capabilities find their potential
limited. This was not the planned ‘high-low mix’ as part of
an ‘integrated force’ we were promised, but a classic British
attempt to muddle through.’ (RUSI May 2025).
None of this would really matter but for a major European political crisis which we helped create by combining our signature of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum security assurances to Ukraine with ‘Options For Change’, a coach and horses driven through the conventional deterrent required to back up those assurances.
Petitions command a response. A reasonable one here. They also tend to ensure something has been thought about a bit.
Keeping very old kit around may also turn out to have been a good idea.
Quite so. The do nothing option is much underrated. Imagine the pearl clutching if Putin seized the Suwalki corridor via Belarus and NATO asked this country for its promised Army Corps.
I agree with the points of view expressed on this issue, but I think a Parliamentary debate could unspin the comments made by Politicians and perhaps even prompt a meaningful statement on future actions. I too find it disingenuous that the MoD presumes the supply of warriors would only confuse the Ukranians! If vehicles become available, I’m sure the Ukrainians (some of the best practical engineers on the planet) would find a way if putting them to good use. So thanks UKDJ, I’ve signed the petition.
Hello Graham, Yes, I know Ajax is not a replacement for Warrior I was using it as a generic term. However, Ares is almost there, and the current thinking at the MOD is to use Ares alongside Boxer. Hopefully, this will result in more Ares orders once the current 93 are manufactured. I must admit, I was surprised about the Ares numbers being so modest alongside the command version, of which there are around 112 units! I’m sure there are requirements for more Ajax variants once the current orders are completed, and rounding them up to 300 would be good news.
Even if Warrior had a replacement in the pipeline, the retired units would need to be held in the war reserve. So I don’t see how they could be handed to Ukraine. Better to assist Ukraine to generate its own stock.