Britain to supply Ukraine with 120,000 drones in 2026
April 16, 2026
Yesterday, the United Kingdom announced its largest-ever drone package to Ukraine. The package will see at least 120,000 British-built drones delivered to Ukraine this year, and deliveries have already begun.
UK to provide Ukraine with 120,000 drones in 2026
The quantity of drones, 120,000, appears both large and small depending on the frame of reference. In 2022, this would be a huge number of drones, but in 2026, Ukraine plans to produce 7 million drones alone this year.
Tekever, the manufacturer, has announced a further £400 million investment to support production.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 2, 2025
The investment will support hundreds of UK manufacturing jobs. pic.twitter.com/ucSnQIXsaS
The announcement came ahead of the 34th meeting of the 50-nation Ukraine Defence Contract Group in Berlin.
The British Government said, “The new package, the largest of its kind ever supplied by the UK, will include thousands of long-range strike drones, intelligence and reconnaissance drones, logistics drones and maritime capabilities, which are all battle-proven on Ukraine’s frontline.”
Welcomed The Honourable Company of Air Pilots ✈️ to our Fareham facility.
— Windracers (@Windracers) April 13, 2026
Great to share how Windracers ULTRA is delivering long-range, heavy-lift missions in demanding environments—supporting aviation while removing pilots from harm’s way.
Valuable exchange 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WxzjedwGvs
The Government also said, “The new drone package is backed by the UK’s wider £3 billion military support for Ukraine this year, as well as ERA funding.”
Other British military aid to Ukraine in 2026 will include hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds and thousands of air defence missiles.
Helping to develop the British drone sector
The majority of the investment is being allocated to UK-based companies like Tekever, Windracers, and Malloy Aeronautics. The investment will also help boost the development of the UK’s drone sector, which it says is “rapidly advancing.”
It is also seen as a way to help drive skills and innovation in the drone sector across the United Kingdom.
Windracers is one of three primary suppliers in the UK@DefenceHQ £752m drone package for Ukraine, delivering 120,000 drones.
— Windracers (@Windracers) April 15, 2026
Windracers ULTRA is operating in Ukraine, supporting autonomous logistics.
Read more: https://t.co/86QtPwEVgz
Windracers
Your Mission.
Delivered. pic.twitter.com/D4QVoYd7CE
In an email to AGN, Windracers said, “Windracers ULTRA is the world’s most accomplished dual-use heavy-lift drone, capable of carrying more than 150kg and flying more than 2,000km.”
Windracers added that ULTRA will “provide Ukraine with a resilient, dual-use heavy-lift platform offering long-range operational air support.”
The UK says the drones will help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks. In March, Russia launched 6,500 one-way attack drones against Ukraine. Increasing numbers of these are being intercepted by Ukraine’s cheap WildHornet interceptor drones costing around $2,500 each.
The UK and Ukraine signed an agreement in March to work together on boosting global defensive capabilities against “the proliferation of low-cost, high-tech military hardware, including drones.”
There are important results from the new meeting in the Ramstein format – precisely what we have agreed with leaders is now being implemented. Just now, there was a report from Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 15, 2026
Partners at Ramstein noted Ukraine’s strong positions…
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK for supplying drones. He also thanked Norway for “more than $500 million for equipping brigades with drones…” and the Netherlands for “over €200 million for drones.”
Ukraine’s massive range of drones
Ukraine has developed and is developing a huge range of drones. These span everything from the numerous FPV drones to large one-way attack drones that blur the line with cruise missiles.
Examples of drone/cruise missiles Ukraine is developing include some of Fire Point’s series of drones. Ukraine is also having enormous success with its FP-1/2 one-way attack drones in taking out high-value Russian targets like air defence systems.
Faced with a shortage of cost-effective interceptor missiles, Ukraine has developed its low-cost and mass-produced interceptor drones. These are now being sought after by Gulf States and European countries.
Not all of Ukraine’s drones or unmanned vehicles fly. Ukraine developed a fleet of sea-going drones (like Sea Baby) to counter Russia’s Black Sea fleet. These have even been successful in shooting down Russian fighter jets and helicopters.
Malloy Aeronautics is delighted to see our T150 heavy lift logistics platform carrying out resupply missions in the Phillipines with the US Marines @USMC https://t.co/Vadefz0rvm
— Malloy Aeronautics (@MalloyAero) May 2, 2023
Ukraine is also increasingly relying on ground drones called Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). These are being used for logistical support, assault, MEDEVAC, and other missions.
Featured Image: Windracers
