Ukraine to receive 30,000 FPV drones thanks to Nato nations including UK

Thirty thousand state-of-the-art, first-person view (FPV) drones are being sent to Ukraine this year to ramp up support in its war with Russia.

Contracts worth £45m were placed by the Drone Capability Coalition, which is co-led by the UK and Latvia, as the UK steps up leadership supporting Kyiv.

The Drone Capability Coalition supports Ukraine with uncrewed surveillance and attack capabilities, and the funding for the new 30,000 drones comes from the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia and Sweden.

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Defence Secretary John Healey announced the milestone alongside Latvian defence minister Andris Sprūds at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group held at Ramstein Air Base.

The announcement follows the UK's £7.5m investment for the Drone Capability Coalition's Common Fund, set out in November and brings the UK's total investment in the fund to £15m to date – the fund has so far raised around £73m.

FPV drones are now the biggest killer on the battlefield – allowing the pilot to see through the drone's perspective in real-time as if they were on board the aircraft. 

Reports have said Russia is using a new drone to try to evade Ukrainian jamming equipment which uses miles of fibre-optic cable, rather than being controlled wirelessly, which unravels as its flies toward a target. 

In a further sign of the strength of international support for Ukraine, more than £190m of extra funding has been committed to the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine by allies and partners, with Portugal and Germany contributing for the first time. 

The fund uses financial contributions from international partners to rapidly procure priority military equipment for Ukraine.

The new contributions include:

• £67m from Denmark for capabilities including drones, air defence systems and training equipment
• £59m from Norway for specialist capabilities including drones and maritime training
• £43m from Portugal for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drones
• £20m from Sweden to fund the repair of Archer self-propelled artillery systems and maritime training
• £4m from Germany for maritime training
• £1m from Iceland to fund coastal radars 

Mr Healey also outlined the MOD's plan for Ukraine's defence in 2025 to more than 50 allies and partners.

"I am proud of the UK's leadership in supporting Ukraine. From heading coalitions which are delivering essential equipment alongside allies, to training recruits, we're standing strong with Ukraine against Putin's aggression," he said.

"Our commitment to provide £3bn a year of military aid for as long as it takes will ensure Ukraine can defend themselves and is essential to protect the security of the UK – because the defence of the UK starts in Ukraine."

He said this year will see an increase to Ukraine's military capability, will build on the success of Operation Interflex by enhancing the training offered to Ukraine, strengthen defence industrial cooperation, increase cooperation with allies to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia.