Tenfold increase in UK drone deliveries for Ukraine in wake of strike on Russian airbases

The UK says it will deliver 10 times as many drones to Ukraine this financial year compared to the last, with tens of thousands already shipped and a target of 100,000 by April 2026.

Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the plans at a 50-nation summit at Nato headquarters in Brussels, where he is co-hosting talks with German defence minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.

The boost in drone support is part of a record £350m spend from the UK's £4.5bn military aid package for Ukraine this year.

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Ukraine recently revealed how over the past 18 months it planned a colossal drone attack, smuggling drones deep into Russia to strike four airbases. 

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed that the drones damaged 41 planes. The list allegedly includes Beriev A-50 surveillance planes, the supersonic Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-22 bombers, as well as the Tu-95 Bear. 

The latter was developed to carry nuclear bombs and can also launch cruise missiles.

The full extent of the drone attack has not been verified. Nonetheless, it shows the disparity between Russia's catastrophic losses to its air force and the cheap way in which Ukraine achieved its goal. 

Combat aircraft cost millions and take decades to develop. Most of Russia's warplanes were built during the Cold War, and the country now lacks the capabilities to make more.

Drones, on the other hand, are dispensable and relatively cheap, often costing less than £1,000 each.

Around 60-70% of the damage currently caused to the Russian military is attributed to drones. 

The UK has taken note of the lessons learned in Ukraine and the Strategic Defence Review has committed more than £4bn for autonomous systems and drone technology.

Many of the drones are made by British firms – including smaller defence companies – and range from loitering munitions and first-person view (FPV) drones to interceptor and fibre-optic models designed to resist Russian jamming.

A further £247m is being committed this year to train the armed forces of Ukraine, primarily through Operation Interflex, which has already trained more than 55,000 Ukrainian troops in the UK.

Britain is also putting £40m into a Nato-run trust fund supporting logistics, fuel and supplies for Ukrainian forces.

Alongside the drone increase, the UK has now completed the delivery of 140,000 artillery shells since January.