UK Announces Coalition Will Send Ukraine 30,000 New Drones

An international coalition to procure unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Ukraine, co-led by the UK and Latvia, will send 30,000 newly-ordered drones to Kyiv, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Thursday.

The “drone capability coalition” – formed in early 2024 to deliver devices to Ukraine – has placed an order worth £45 million ($55 million) for the UAVs, the ministry said.

It did not detail when the drones would be dispatched to Kyiv.

Funding for the 30,000 new UAVs via the coalition comes from the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Sweden. 

British Defence Secretary John Healey announced the order as he visited Germany’s Ramstein Air Base for a meeting of Ukraine’s allies, where he also held talks with outgoing US counterpart Lloyd Austin.

“The fierce courage of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world,” Healey said in remarks released by his ministry.

“This meeting of more than 50 nations sends a clear message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin about the international community’s unwavering support for Ukraine.”

London said the new drones would be “state-of-the-art, first-person view” UAVs that would “help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression.”

It added they will allow Ukraine’s armed forces “to maneuver past Russian air defenses to target enemy positions and armored vehicles.”

London announced in November it was investing £7.5 million ($9.2 million) in the drone coalition’s common fund, taking its contributions to date to £15 million ($18.4 million). 

So far, the fund has raised around £73 million ($89.8 million) in total.

Healey also confirmed at Ramstein that the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine – which procures priority military equipment, including air defense and artillery systems – now stands at more than £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion).

London has given £500 million, while more than £190 million of extra funding has been committed by allies and partners, with Portugal and Germany contributing for the first time, according to Healey’s ministry.

Britain’s new Labour government, which took power in July, committed at the time to continue giving £3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine until 2030-2031.