Oral Question·Ministry of Defence
“What steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of the development and adoption of uncrewed defence systems.”
Tabled: 9 December 2025Answered: 15 December 2025
Asked by
Fred Thomas
Labour — Plymouth Moor View
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Defence
Answer from Hansard
The Minister for the Armed Forces (Al Carns)
The Government are working exceptionally hard to ensure we speed up our procurement of uncrewed systems. In 2024 alone we are buying up to 5,400 drones, moving up to 8,000 in 2026. Really important is the development of our drone uncrewed centre of excellence, which will be launched later this year to provide better co-ordination and co-operation across defence, industries and academia in the delivery of uncrewed systems.