The UK will supply more than 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year as part of what the government describes as its largest drone package to date, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The package includes a mix of long-range strike drones, intelligence and reconnaissance systems, logistics drones and maritime capabilities, with deliveries already underway this month, the Ministry of Defence stated.
The announcement coincides with Defence Secretary John Healey travelling to Berlin to co-chair the 34th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, Ukrainian Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“In the fifth year of Putin’s brutal war, the UK is stepping up further and providing the highest ever number of drones for Ukraine this year,” Healey said.
“This big boost of battle-proven drones will give Ukrainian forces the capability they need to defend their people and fight back against Russian aggression.”
The Ministry of Defence said drones have become central to operations on both sides of the conflict, noting that around 6,500 one-way attack drones were launched by Russia in March 2026, a marked increase on the previous month.
Most of the funding for the package will be directed towards UK-based companies, including Tekever, Windracers and Malloy Aeronautics, with the government stating that the investment will support jobs and growth in the domestic drone sector.
The drone package forms part of the UK’s wider £3 billion military support commitment to Ukraine this year, alongside additional funding through the International Fund for Ukraine. Healey is also expected to confirm that the UK will supply hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds and thousands of air defence missiles as part of continued support.
The announcement follows a defence partnership agreed last month between the UK and Ukraine aimed at strengthening cooperation on countering low-cost, high-tech threats, including drones. It also builds on a £500 million air defence package announced earlier this year, which included funding for NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List and the delivery of more than 1,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles.
great more money spent on some else defence while we struggle to field more than 12 heavy tube arty pieces, and Ajax is still broken, yes help Ukraine but it seems government cares more about being seen to help Ukraine than sort out its onw countries defence.
I agree to a point. I would make a counter argument that if we claim Russia is our biggest threat than fighting them over there whilst supporting an increasingly important ally makes strategic sense. I would also argue that it’s also the right thing to do, governments cannot allow behaviour like Putin’s to go unchecked.
I of course totally agree with the concerns around the artillery pieces and the wider concerns about our own readiness.
i agree with that its fair, helping others but not helping our own
There needs to be a huge push to rearm but it’s nots going to happen. Even if Starmer wanted too his back benchers are obsessed with the ever increasing welfare bill. There isn’t any money to do what’s needed.
Trueis its about Labour votes, he is not a strong leader he will give in to them as had to over welfare cuts. Its a done deal on that and its always been part of the long term problem.
Well good job Ukraine is fighting the war for us then.
thTy are not fighting for us never have been, they are fight for them selves. Its their war not ours. We helped them, gave them kit and ammo we can not afford to replace, gave them money while we go with out. It has never been our war.
Just as Iran is not our war. about time we as nation minded our own buisness and stop trying to be a big player, Irag/Afghan not ourwar but we paid for them in lives and Billions. Just to sit at the big boy table. DAidgusting way get a pat on the back from the USA.
Now we won’t take part what do we get insults, Afghan war dead insulted, We can not afford to take part and will have little to bring to the fight.
Welfare is of more concern to the population than defence. UK should stop prentending to be a big player and just look after itself.
Agrered we need mind our own busniss and stop taking part is wars the USA start.
UK companies get the money and the work. Ukraine takes the operational risks and Russia gets more of its resources drained and its power-projection capabilities pureed. Struggling to understand your objections.
That’s because you take the common sense and logical approach Ian, something the World seems to be increasingly short of as religious and nationalist fervour on all fronts dictates decision making. When an American military leader (and not the only one) evokes the war with Iran ias about the Rapture and Armageddon and presents it as a positive for the soldiers involved we know things are becoming irrational and seriously dangerous for us all. Reasoning with cults is no easy matter once they take hold.
We are big boys, we should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. If we can somehow find 3b for the Ukraine it questions the reality of the “black hole”. What’s wrong for example in giving 2 billion to the Ukraine and 1 billion to the MOD?
Because the fighting is in Ukraine.
This Britain, not Ukraine we got homeless, crime is up, unempolyment up, the military is a mess, we sadly can not afford to keep giving money etc to others, what about our own needs are own people, when does a government stop and see we are a mess and people need help.
Tell some who can not heat their home or buy the food they want that its right give £ billions to Ukraine, and the cost of the Ukraine people here.
Saving the world but not our own, again and again
Oh please you really are talking 1st World problems here, defence is a relatively small part of the National budget taking half of it wouldn’t change the fundamentals of people’s personal wealth here the welfare and services budgets is massive by comparison. And anyway how do we spend money on defence you previously speak of while improving the aspects that you claim we are neglecting. Fact is we have to understand being the Worlds 6th biggest economy does not mean you are by definition ‘wealthy’ we are a small island with a big population that now produces few raw materials and no real mass manufacturing industry outside of the defence sector. We rely on finance and services and we have little opportunity to expand those sectors as it’s competitive as hell and diversifying. Wealth generation is now increasingly in the East and California due to its ai investments which many see as a bubble. We are suffering from decisions made long ago and apart from innovative start ups show little appetite in investing in the type of new innovative technologies that has fuelled more recent growth areas of the World, we are followers for the most part while our successes, Arm, DeepMind, YASA et al nearly all get sold off or get absorbed into California. If you think things are bad now I fear it’s going to get far worse as the squeeze from various directions ramps up. Defence is one of our few jewels despite destroying much of it and investment in it the best way to maintain even just perhaps expand our economy through spin offs and what we are learning from a Ukraine thanks to our early support is vital to that.
stick to defence matters, and if not then please feel free to bore some one else. I simply do not care about parties or politics. Thats for others not me,
Wr spend 10 8% on welfare. That’s a lot of help.
Well all I can say is a lot of those needing help vote Labour, they simply looking after their voter pool. That is in no way wrong remember country before party? Or is it the other way around?
I gotta agree with you there. But once people are tied into the welfare system, it’s difficult to get them out, and make meaningful cuts. And many of joe public aren’t feeling or understand the dangers the nation is facing. Its just something that only happens abroad that we watch on the news. Plus a huge chunk of the welfare budget goes on pensions and the triple lock. And none of the parties, including Reform won’t touch that. Because older people vote. And they have worked for that pension.
I again agree with you, its too easy to get on benefits, it pays better than a lot of jobs and there is no real push to get people off them. No party wants to touch welfare no matter what they say, I fail to see how the issue can be delt with fairly, it has to be but no one has will to do.
The cost is out pacing taxes etc it can not go on for ever but how it is fixed is beyond me.
Oh come on if Ukraine were not keeping Russia tied up with Trump playing blind man’s buff he would now be pushing in various places we are committed to defend and certainly stepping up sabotage attempts and we would have little to stop it. Fact is Ukraine is giving Europe breathing space to re arm and prepare, it’s not their fault some aren’t yet taking advantage. Think we should be thanking them, not chastising vital support for them. Fact is they are now the most effective army and in many ways most advanced fighting force in Europe, developing effective weapons for us (as shown by agreements now with Middle Eastern Countries) and will be vital to any Europe based defence structure once the US disengages, or at the very least keeps us safe until a more powerful Congress and later a new less deranged President takes over. But even that may end up being but a temporary break in US interest in Europe. So this gives us time to develop European weaponry as I fear the US will use similar tactics it has used to restrict support for Ukraine on Europe if we remain tied to their weapon systems and supplies.
not my problem, i do not live there, i live here and our armed forces are run down disgrace, rather we fixed that. We have helped Ukraine at expense of our own forces, we get embarassed on the world stage by having few ships that work.
We could not fight a war now we have limited 155mm ammo, only 12 heavy guns, only 2 up dated MLRS, Ajax does not work, yet we retired CVRTs. We do not make 120mm ammo nor 30mm ammo so in war what do we do, bad words.
We are low on NLAW/Javlin, storm shaddows, no replacement for them ordered. Its not our war, we can not afford it and we can even equip our own Army.
Whole regts with empty gun parks, units with next to no vehicles, no wonder lots leave they have nothing to do but watch us pay for some one else war yet we can not even afford kit for our Army,
if we believe our “growing” defence budget would be used to deter Russia then this is another way of doing it. As long as the Ukrainians can fight and cause Russia damage, the more weakened the Russians will be to consider attacking us or anybody else. Also, it has generated from scratch a UK drone development and production capability. This can now function at scale and could be flipped for direct UK defence. If it keeps the Russians at arms reach, that must be a good thing
umm interesting point which i agree with, Russia is only a missile treat etc to us, its very unlikely Russian ground foces will ever get to the UK. It more what they can send via sea or air, that is our weakness. How ever Nato as a whole totally out guns Russia except opn Nukes. All out war is not going happen just more of this lower level stuff to annoy and probe defences.
With both Polland Germany re arming they are main grond forces along with France in europe we have ceaded that role for good, Our navy is very good a ASW that is where we need spend, that and GBAD.
As some would want we simply do not need a large Army, if Russia gets through Poland we are not going stop them.
Every penny spent on Ukraine defence is money well spent by uk govt.
Yes its a scandal that this govt still has not committed to national urgency in increasing govt defence spending in UK. Yes previous govt have also been scandalous but thats no excuse for todays labour govt to keep kicking the can down the road and lying in public about current state of UK armed forces .
Less for money well spent in Ukraine i agree on the rest.
I take it that future warfare, especially with Russia will rely heavily on drones. Manufacturing in UK and field testing in a war zone seems a very positive thing for UK defence
…and has started some very useful start ups that will become vital to us later. Highly unlikely the impetus would be there and investment found without what’s happening in Ukraine. Apart from high end drones have been considered the poor man’s weapon not for sophisticated militaries in any scale. A big lesson learned and amazingly one the US is still having to learn on the hoof in the Gulf. As in 1942 in the US and Britain in the Pacific arrogance tends to come a cropper once engagement begins.
It’s about time this war was ended.
All Pootin has to do is stop and withdraw to his own country!
Yes, you’re right.
It’s time the world stopped giving Ukraine what it needs to stay in the fight and starts giving them what they need to win!
10,000 drones a month will definitely help that. They need another 100 F-16s plus munitions as well.
So stuff the UK, give stuff away, again. After all, welfare is more important than warfare preparation. Lions lead by socialist donkeys.
The UK always doing more than the rest of the EU. With Spain blocking the R.A.F. flying over it’s airspace, it’s time to stick two fingers up at the EU, pull all our military out of the EU and let them get their hands dirty, especially Spain.
How does that end well for us, do we start fighting when Russia reaches the Channel? If so the war is already lost I’m afraid even Russia could find more decent soldiers than our whole army and reserves. Europe needs to stick together whatever the momentary annoyances, only they stand between us and an embarrassing military disaster if it gets hot in Europe. Some others Countries are giving more to Ukraine (GDP wise) and Germany a lot more than us and meanwhile since the war begun our defence spending on that measure has gone from 4th to an embarrassing 14th so I would say we need them for our defence, oh and if Norway fell how do you think we could defend our northern extremities let alone keep our vital supplies from being sunk or stop the incoming cruise missiles and drones from across the North Sea? I guess we could ask the EU to supply us eh having told them to piss off.
Why has Spain stopped the RAF flying over its airspace? I thought it was just against the US? Isn’t there greater collaboration with Spain over the Gibraltar border?
When I first read this I was thinking that sending UK (or the US doing so, for that matter) built drones to Ukraine would be like shipping coal to Newcastle. But then I thought about the primary types of support, apparently, being long range strike drones, plus intel and recon systems. And the success that Ukraine has had with long range strike drones over the past year and the capabilities that allowed them to do so accurately and effectively.
The thought of ever larger drone strike packages hitting Russia deeper and deeper in Russian territory sounds pretty darned good.
Even though the UK is way behind on defense spending and readiness, getting Ukraine the weapons it badly needs sooner rather than later makes a great deal of sense. Because European defense is primarily defense against Russia. This is true if the defense spending is eventually corrected, and increased to a level that will allow the UK to regain some of the defense capabilities it has lost over the past few decades.
Ukraine is already receiving aid from many countries; with that money, they could build about four Type 26 frigates, for example, while the United Kingdom has its armed forces on the verge of chaos, handing out money and more money. It’s not justifiable.
That £3BN of support…looks similar to the level of “savings” Reeves is asking from Defence? No free lunch here.
Fully support supplying Ukraine.
Would be good if our own military at least got some small numbers of these Drones to build up experience and get our structures in place if we need to ramp up for our own use?
Ukraine is doing the rest of the free world a favour!
No issues from me, UK Companies are getting better and better in this specialised area and that can only be good news for our military (but only if and when) this Government decides to have the balls to stand up to the PLP and spend money on our own defence. However using UK and NATO kit to destroy Russian capability and kill Russians, again no issue from me, its what the kit was designed to do and the Ukrainians are doing a good job and using it well. However there does become a time when our defence cupboard is becoming a little too bare and our clowns in charge need to man up and admit the shit state we are currently in. Certainly with the way the Orange man is going, and the amount of bad actors around the world, UK along with NATO must project a more pro defence image and put the money where it is needed.
Just face facts the country is in a death spiral of apathy and bone idleness. Buy more fighter aircraft people say……really? We live in a country that has roads that would embarrass an African country, Lincolnshire Council are actually considering raking up some class c roads to create gravel tracks. As we fall down every league table from economics to defence to wealth it is time for a long hard look at ourself or we just become an even bigger international irrelevance. For now we need Ukraine to buy Europe time to sort its defences out and prepare for defence against threats from despots all around us, Russia, China, Iran, USA. We clearly have “leaders” who have no intention whatsoever of joining in this rearming so we better hope others will protect little old GB because we will never again be able to defend ourselves from anything. So long now and thanks for all the fish.
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