UK to allocate funds to purchase 10,000 drones for Ukraine

The UK will allocate £325 million to purchase 10,000 cutting-edge drones for Ukraine.

The announcement was made today by UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps during a meeting with President Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports, referring to the British government's website.

The now £325m overall funding commitment will deliver over 10,000 uncrewed platforms – the majority of which are first-person view (FPV) drones,1000 one-way attack drones which have been researched and developed in the UK, as well as surveillance and maritime drones. 

“I am ramping up our commitment to arm Ukraine with cutting-edge new drones coming directly from the UK’s world-leading defence industries – straight from the factory floor to the frontline. I encourage international partners to join the UK in this effort,” said Shapps.

He added that these drones have proven highly effective on the battlefield since Russia’s full-scale invasion. With more than £100M of this package being spent on maritime capabilities, “Ukraine will continue to turn the tide in the Black Sea.”

As Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to discuss further defense cooperation between the two countries.