The government has announced a £5 billion package to support drone and laser weapon technology for UK troops and warships, as part of its mission to become a leading innovator in NATO under the new Strategic Defence Review (SDR).

This funding allocation includes more than £4 billion for autonomous systems, with an additional investment of almost £1 billion for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). In the process of boosting frontline defence, this will also create 300 skilled jobs across the country.

One of the DEWs is the DragonFire laser, which is set to be the first high power laser capability entering service from a European nation, and exepcted to be fitted on a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer in 2027.

This follows the SDR, which recommends making uncrewed autonomous systems a priority over the next five years, as well as scaling up targeted investment in the development of novel directed energy weapons.
This aligns with the new announcement of £4 billion for autonomous systems, of which more than £2 billion is new funding following the government’s uplift in defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP from 2027.
Both increased investment into defence as well as a focus on autonomous devices and DEWs reflect the SDR’s vision for UK innovation to be driven by the lessons from Ukraine by harnessing drones, data and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer.

Defence secretary John Healey MP said: “These investments will mean the most significant advance in UK defence technology in decades. We will ensure our Armed Forces have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

“We are delivering the Strategic Defence Review’s vision to put the UK at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, by backing British industry and fast-tracking the kit of the future into the hands of frontline troops.

“This government’s Plan for Change will harness the benefits of technology, create hundreds of new jobs and make defence a powerful engine for economic growth.”