30,000 new drones for Ukraine in boost to European security

As many as 30,000 drones will be sent to Ukraine after £45 million ($55.3 million) worth of contracts were placed by the international Drone Capability Coalition, co-led by the UK and Latvia as the UK steps up leadership supporting Ukraine in 2025, Report informs, referring to the UK government’s website.

Defense Secretary John Healey announced this milestone alongside Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group held at Ramstein Air Base today [Thursday, January 9].

Healey arrived last night for talks with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the US Air Base.

The Drone Capability Coalition supports Ukraine with uncrewed surveillance and attack capabilities. Funding for the new 30,000 drones comes from UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Latvia and Sweden.

These state-of-the-art, first-person view drones will help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression, allowing Ukraine’s Armed Forces to maneuver past Russian air defenses to target enemy positions and armored vehicles.

Today’s announcement follows the UK’s £7.5 million ($9.2 million) investment for the Drone Capability Coalition’s Common Fund, set out in November, and brings the UK’s total investment in the fund to £15 million ($18.4 million) to date. So far, the fund has raised around £73 million ($89.8 million) from the UK and partners.

As well as this, the Defense Secretary confirmed that the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine now stands at over £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion), of which the UK has contributed £500 million ($615.3 million).

He also outlined the Ministry of Defense’s plan for Ukraine’s Defense in 2025 to more than 50 allies and partners gathered for the meeting. John Healey discussed the plan with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Kyiv in December.