UK pledges to send record number of drones to Ukraine by end of 2026

Prefer on Google by Kollen Post Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) welcomes Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer before a gathering of European leaders in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on May 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images) The U.K. has pledged to supply Ukraine with more than 120,000 drones of various types by the end of 2026, the country's Defense Ministry said on April 15. The U.K. Defense Ministry announced its "biggest ever drone package for Ukraine, " which will include "thousands of long-range strike drones, intelligence and reconnaissance drones, logistics drones, and maritime capabilities." The U.K.'s new drone commitment comes amid a flurry of announcements at the 34th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Berlin , which is expected to bring together representatives from about 50 countries. "With eyes on the Middle East in recent weeks, (Vladimir) Putin wants us to be distracted, but Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage and nothing will distract us from continuing to stand with them for as long as it takes to secure peace," U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey said. The funds will go primarily to U.K. companies, with the U.K. Defense Ministry naming Tekever, Windracers, and Malloy Aeronautics in particular, according to the statement . Drone deliveries are expected to begin as early as April, the statement read. Funding for the drone program is part of the U.K.'s broader military support for Ukraine, totaling 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) annually, and follows a 500 million pounds ($680 million) air defense package announced in February at a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The U.K. announced a "drone coalition" alongside Latvia in January 2024. The coalition has since accumulated over $2 billion but has only delivered drone packages to Ukraine totaling tens of millions of dollars.