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The United Kingdom is establishing a new military drone task force modeled on Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, as part of a £5 billion investment to expand the use of drones and autonomous weapons across the British Armed Forces, UATV English reports.
According to The Telegraph, the new unit will bring together personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines under a single command to accelerate the development and deployment of unmanned capabilities.
Unlike Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, the British formation will not become a separate military branch. Instead, it will serve as a joint operational group focused on integrating personnel, data and autonomous systems to deliver rapid and cost-effective battlefield capabilities.
A source at the UK Ministry of Defence said many elements of the plan were directly informed by Ukraine’s battlefield experience.
“Many of the decisions in the Defence Investment Plan were undoubtedly based on lessons learned from how Ukraine is fighting the Russians,” the source said.
The Defence Investment Plan allocates £5 billion to accelerate the adoption of drones and autonomous systems. By 2030, Apache helicopter units are expected to receive 24 armed drones capable of operating alongside attack helicopters, while an additional £50 million will fund new FPV strike drones for infantry units and the development of unmanned ground vehicles for logistics and combat missions.
The plan also earmarks more than £8.6 billion for the Royal Air Force’s next-generation Tempest fighter program.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said Ukraine had demonstrated the speed, scale and effectiveness of drone warfare, adding that the new task force will develop long-range reconnaissance and strike capabilities while strengthening Britain’s defenses against hostile drones.
