The announcement was made by defence secretary Grant Shapps during his visit to Kyiv where he met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscores Britain‘s commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

The package, valued at £325 million, builds upon the £200m drone package announced by the prime minister in January.

This new drone procurement initiative stretches across a diverse range of unmanned platforms including first-person view (FPV) drones, one-way attack drones developed in the UK, as well as surveillance and maritime drones. These drones are expected to provide Ukrainian forces with enhanced situational awareness and tactical advantages on the battlefield.

“Ukraine’s Armed Forces are using UK donated weapons to unprecedented effect, to help lay waste to nearly 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet,” said Shapps.

“On my third visit to this great country, I was pleased to be able to offer my firm reassurance to President Zelenskyy on the UK’s unwavering commitment to the brave people and military forces of Ukraine.”

The effectiveness of Ukrainian forces in utilising drones to target Russian military assets has garnered international attention, with Defence Secretary Shapps highlighting their successful use in neutralising Russian air defences and targeting naval assets. The deployment of FPV drones, in particular, has enabled Ukrainian forces to strike key Russian military positions with precision, contributing to significant losses for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

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Speaking at the Data Summit in Edinburgh last November, Olga Tokariuk a Ukrainian journalist, disinformation researcher, and fellow at the Chatham House delivered a speech on how AI is changing the modern battlefield, which touched on the use of drones. 

Automated drones have been deployed widely throughout this conflict. “Not just to do reconnaissance,” said Tokariuk, “but also to identify targets and help the operators destroy enemy targets efficiently.”

In addition to the drone supply initiative, the UK has announced its collaboration with Latvia to co-lead an international coalition aimed at enhancing Ukraine’s drone capabilities. 

The announcement comes amid heightened calls from NATO allies for increased support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s military campaign.