UK-supplied drones have destroyed over $1.2 billion of Russian military gear in Ukraine, says UK official
UK drones given to Ukraine have been used to take out more than $1.2 billion worth of Russian military gear, according to the UK’s defense secretary, citing Ukrainian figures.
“Our Ukrainian partners conservatively estimate that UK drones have destroyed over 1 billion worth of Russian hardware,” Grant Shapps told a delegation of Ukrainian ministers at a defense forum in London on Monday, per The Telegraph.
“Our cooperation has had an outstanding impact on the battlefield,” Shapps added.
The UK has provided over 4,000 drones to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Shapps said, according to the outlet, which included 30 different types of drones.
Among these, Shapps said, were surveillance drones, which he said overcame “highly capable” Russian air-defense systems in Crimea, and medium-lift drones that have re-supplied Ukrainian forces over the Dnipro River with generators, food, water, and ammunition.
He also mentioned one-way attack drones that are “making their mark,” and drones that guide artillery and missiles toward Russian targets.
In March, the UK’s Ministry of Defence announced it would deliver an additional 10,000 drones to Ukraine, as part of its latest $413 million military aid package.
Drones have played a key role in the war in Ukraine, with both sides relying on them heavily.
Ukrainian drones have been credited with the destruction of two-thirds of Russian tanks taken out in the conflict, have inflicted damage on Russia’s oil depots, and contributed to Russia losing a third of its Black Sea Fleet.
In February, Ukraine announced it was setting up a separate branch of its military focused purely on drone warfare.
The UK, alongside the US and others, has been supporting Ukraine in its drone warfare efforts.
Last month, Shapps said that he hoped to speed up the production of a new high-tech laser weapon, dubbed DragonFire – originally scheduled for deployment by 2027 – so that Ukraine could use it against Russian drones.
And last week, the UK Ministry of Defence announced it was developing a new radio-wave weapon designed to take out a “swarm” of drones for just $0.12 a shot, at a range of up to 1000 meters.
