U.K. Defense Plan Allocates £5 Billion to Drones and Autonomous Vessels

The U.K. government released its Defense Investment Plan on June 30, 2026, committing more than £5 billion ($6.6 billion) over four years to drones and related autonomous systems. The funding forms part of a larger £298 billion ($395 billion) defense budget covering the same period.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the spending will raise defense outlays to the highest share of GDP in 30 years and align with NATO targets of 3.5 percent.

Under the plan, the Royal Navy will field four new classes of uncrewed vessels instead of proceeding with the previously planned Type 83 destroyer. The Type 91 will serve as an uncrewed missile platform, the Type 92 as an anti-submarine sensor ship, the Type 93 as an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle, and the Type 94 as an air-defense sensor platform.

These vessels will operate with six crewed Common Combat Vessels that will coordinate air-defense missions currently performed by Type 45 destroyers. The first Common Combat Vessels are scheduled to enter service in the 2030s.

The plan also directs funding toward drone wingmen for Apache helicopters, thousands of low-cost strike drones, and surveillance drones to replace older systems. The Ministry of Defence stated that most of the new platforms do not yet exist in physical form.

The government cited operations in Ukraine and Iran as evidence that drones are reshaping warfare, noting that Ukraine employs roughly 200,000 drones per month and that 700 offensive drones were launched daily during peak periods of the Iran conflict.