The UK has supplied more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine in the past six months, Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed, as NATO nations step up efforts to counter Russia’s escalating drone warfare.
The announcement was made ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels, co-hosted by the UK and Germany. The mass delivery of drones marks one of Britain’s most significant contributions to Ukraine’s war effort to date, aimed at bolstering Kyiv’s ability to strike back and defend against waves of Russian aerial attacks.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the UK has invested £600 million this year to accelerate drone production and delivery for Ukraine’s armed forces. The funding includes tens of thousands of short-range first-person view (FPV) drones, which have become crucial for reconnaissance missions, precision strikes, and disrupting Russian positions behind the front line.
“Putin’s dangerous escalation in Ukraine and across Europe must be matched by ramping up our drone production and strengthening NATO’s air defences,” Mr Healey said. “The UK is stepping up our support to Ukraine by delivering over 85,000 drones in the last six months and signing new industrial partnerships to rapidly develop thousands of interceptor drones to shoot down Putin’s attacks.”
Last month in Kyiv, Mr Healey and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed a new industrial partnership to jointly produce the Octopus interceptor drone, which is already being used by Ukrainian forces to protect civilians and critical infrastructure. Data from the battlefield is now being used to help scale up production, with plans to deliver thousands of improved interceptors every month.
The Defence Secretary, who is also attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers, confirmed that the UK’s commitment to the alliance’s Eastern Sentry air policing mission will continue until the end of the year. RAF Typhoon jets have been flying patrols over Poland since Moscow’s drone incursions in September.
Meanwhile, British counter-drone specialists are being deployed to Moldova, where they will train the country’s armed forces in how to detect and neutralise enemy drones.
The UK also co-leads the Drone Capability Coalition with Latvia, an alliance of nations pooling resources to supply Ukraine with advanced interceptor systems to combat the Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russian forces. The coalition is expected to issue contracts in the coming weeks, with around 35,000 new interceptor systems set to be delivered to Ukraine in the months ahead.
Mr Healey said the surge in British support reflected the urgency of strengthening Europe’s collective air defences as drone warfare became a defining feature of the conflict. “We’re working side by side with our allies to make sure Ukraine has the tools it needs to defend its people and push back against Russian aggression,” he said.
