UK to provide Ukraine with 100,000 drones by April 2026
The United Kingdom pledged on June 4 to supply Ukraine with 100,000 drones by the end of the financial year in April 2026, after saying that unmanned aerial vehicles have changed the way modern wars are fought.
The drone package – valued at £350 million ($473 million) – is part of a broader £4.5 billion military support initiative for Ukraine and marks a tenfold increase from a target of 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025, the U.K. government said.
"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," Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement.
The increase in drone support is timely, as it follows Ukraine's successful Operation Spiderweb on June 1. As part of the operation, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) smuggled 117 drones into Russian territory, striking four airbases and damaging 41 military aircraft.
In addition to drone deliveries, the U.K. government confirmed the delivery of 140,000 artillery shells to Ukraine since January and will spend an additional £247 million ($334 million) this year to train Ukrainian troops.
"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 own national security," Healey said.
On June 2, the U.K. government endorsed an independent Strategic Defense Review that called for a more technologically advanced military to counter emerging threats, including potential Russian aggression. Citing the war in Ukraine, the review emphasized the importance of drones and digital warfare.
To that end, the U.K. will devote more than £4 billion ($5.4 billion) to the development of autonomous systems and drones for the UK Armed Forces to help learn the lessons from Ukraine.
This follows a recent commitment from the government to increase military spending to 2.5% of total gross domestic product (GDP) by April 2027.
Later today, the U.K. and Germany will co-host the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, where the group will coordinate further military aid to Ukraine.
During the meeting, Defense Secretary Healey will officially announce Britain's latest military support initiative for Ukraine.