The United Kingdom is stepping up its production of military drones for Ukraine after announcing a $160 million boost to its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) program.
“I am ramping up our commitment to arm Ukraine with cutting-edge new drones coming directly from the U.K.’s world-leading defense industries—straight from the factory floor to the front line,” U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said while visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday.
The new package, which increases Britain’s funding for UAV production from $256 million to $416 million, will fund more than 10,000 drones for Ukraine. The weapons have played a key role in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, offering a relatively low-cost option that can be used to conduct surveillance and accurately strike enemy targets.
JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images
“Drones are changing the course of the war in Ukraine,” Shapps wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. “That’s why today the UK is boosting its delivery of drones to the frontline … By doing so we will get over 10,000 new drones to Ukraine and remain Ukraine’s largest drone supplier.”
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry thanked Britain for its latest aid package in a post to X, adding, “Together, we are stronger!” Newsweek reached out to Zelensky’s press office via email for further comment on Thursday.
Several Western allies have signed a letter of intent to join a Latvian-led drone coalition that was launched in February, which aims to deliver 1 million drones to Ukraine. At the moment, Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada and the U.K. have joined the effort.
Britain’s latest drone package—which includes 1,000 one-way attack drones as well as maritime UAVs—comes as additional U.S. military aid for Ukraine has stalled amid fights in Congress. Shapps said on Thursday that he encourages “international partners to join the U.K. in this effort” to provide Ukraine with the critical weapons.
Russia has also seized momentum along the front lines since capturing the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine last month, Moscow’s biggest battleground win in months.
But Ukraine has found continued success in the battle in the skies against Russia, using drones to target Moscow’s critical military infrastructure such as the Black Sea Fleet and other equipment stationed in Crimea.
Russia has relied heavily on Iranian-produced UAVs and has used such weapons to unleash several airstrikes on Ukrainian cities throughout the war, including in a deadly attack on the port city of Odesa over the weekend where seven civilians were killed, Ukrainian officials said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.