The UK must act now to support Ukraine’s drone production
David Taylor MP and Phil Brickell MP
4 min read
What made the Kalashnikov so supremely effective? Its standardised issue, ease of manufacture, reliance on readily available common parts and comparative cheapness.
Sat across the table from Ukrainian deputy defence minister Sergiy Boyev at an undisclosed military building in Kyiv, we were told Ukraine needs a fleet of drones that possess the same characteristics as the Kalashnikov, to complement the growing number of cutting-edge drones being produced by Ukrainian tech companies.
Minister Boyev was not the only person to make this case during our weeklong trip to Ukraine. The need for a “flying Kalashnikov” drone was reiterated at the Ukrainian Parliament by Economic Committee Chair Dmytro Natalukha and his fellow MP Oleksandr Marikovsky – and it was further corroborated when we met deputy economy minister Oleksii Sobolev, who called on Britain to urgently help Kyiv scale up drone production.
The Labour government has shown leadership, increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent from April 2027. On drones specifically, the government has committed a further 30,000 new attack and surveillance drones and committed to increasing the quantity and quality of drones being provided to Ukraine through national and international partnerships such as the UK co-lead Drone Capability Coalition. But with President Trump’s unwarranted attacks on Kyiv, Britain needs to contribute even more to keep Ukraine in the fight.
In Ukraine, we heard in detail from Konstantin, a front-line lieutenant within a drone regiment who fought in Kharkiv and Kherson, about how stretches of the front line have been held exclusively by drones. If Putin’s army can be pinned down in trenches solely through mass drone formations, this could free up troop allocations elsewhere on the front and save Ukrainian lives.
The Ukrainian drone sector has immense potential, but it desperately needs access to UK capital
We also heard from Ukraine based security expert James Rushton on the indispensable nature of small recon drones like the DJI Mavic. The UK could purchase these in large numbers on the commercial market, given they are used by every Ukrainian unit for battlefield surveillance. The UK can, and must, act now to make this a reality.
In Kyiv’s UNIT. City, a high-tech innovation and research space, we were briefed by tech leaders about the transition already underway to a “tech war”. There we were told how Ukraine had increased the number of drones on the frontline with autonomous targeting capabilities from only one per cent to 10 per cent last year and by 2026 is expected to account for four out of every ten drones – a huge shift in battlefield tactics as both sides continue to embrace greater automation and AI. That’s why the UK must do more to ensure its defence companies are leading the charge alongside our Ukrainian allies.
The Ukrainian drone sector has immense potential, but it desperately needs access to UK capital to scale-up, with more joint ventures between British and Ukrainian defence companies to drive further innovation and interoperability. These two measures would boost domestic defence production in Ukraine and send a powerful message to Putin that despite Russian troops often substantially outnumbering them, Ukrainian forces can prevail.
It is a harsh reality that it is only a matter of time before British troops face an adversary using drones. The UK armed forces can learn from the Ukrainian use of drones, allowing us to be better prepared.
Whilst in Kyiv, we repeatedly heard from ministers, front line troops, parliamentarians, and the intelligence community that ceasefire talks are a deceitful tactic deployed by Putin to stall for time and to allow him to regroup. Expert James Rushton has reported donkeys being used for frontline logistics and troops sent back to the front on crutches; we cannot allow Putin any respite. While he seeks to mislead the international community on the global stage, the UK must do all it can now to support increased drone production within Ukraine. Russia is regrouping and Putin will throw everything he has at the front line to continue his imperial ambitions.
If left unchecked, Putin will not stop at Ukraine. This is not a case of charity; it is an existential conflict for the entire west. The UK, and our European allies, face a very real threat to our collective security. Dither and delay will result in catastrophe for the Western world and our shared values.
By giving Ukraine the tools to fight smarter, and harnessing the possibilities presented by new technology, the Russians can be outmanoeuvred on the battlefield. The Ukrainian people are the only ones who should decide their destiny. So, we will continue to do all we can in Parliament to get more drones into the hands of Ukrainian troops, to grow the Ukrainian defence tech industry faster, and overcome Putin’s murderous war of aggression.
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