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Written question asked by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Monday, 27 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Unmanned Air Systems: Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK drone transformation to strengthen Armed Forces backed by more than £5 billion, published on 29 June 2026, whether the £5 billion to be spent on drones over the next four years is in addition to the £4 billion to be spent on autonomous systems announced by his Department on 2 June 2025.

Answer

This government has increased military drone and autonomous system spending as part of the £298 billion Defence Investment Plan.

The Defence Investment Plan allocated over £5 billion to military drone and autonomous systems, increasing spending from £4 billion to £5 billion over the next four years. This will cover programmes across the Maritime, Land, and Air domains to support the transformation of our Armed Forces, and includes a multitude of capabilities, ranging from the Hybrid Naval Fleet to One-Way Attack Drones.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
14891
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Finance Unmanned air systems
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk