Britain's army will introduce 1,025 small drones to strengthen battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Separately, it will invest up to 400 million pounds over about 10 years in long-range surveillance drones to replace the existing Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft system.

On Sept. 22, tech outlet TechRadar reported that the UK Defence Ministry is expanding intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment through a 16 million pound small-drone procurement contract. The British government announced the programme on Sept. 16, and the ministry said drone deliveries are close to completion.

Evolve Dynamics, headquartered in Hampshire, England, will supply 245 FOXE-NATO drones. The aircraft, which weighs less than 250 grams, is equipped with an infrared camera for night operations. Marlborough Communications of Surrey will supply 670 X10 INTL drones made by U.S.-based Skydio. The X10 INTL can be ready to fly in under 1 minute and has a top speed of 45 miles per hour (about 72 km per hour).

Brigantes Consulting of Exeter and Harmattan AI will supply 110 SONORA drones. The aircraft is not for battlefield deployment but a training system for soldiers to learn how to operate drones used in real operations.

Separate from the small-drone programme, the British military will introduce Tekever's AR5 long-range surveillance drone to replace the Watchkeeper that has been in operation since 2014. The contract is worth up to 400 million pounds. It will initially order 6 drones and plans to expand to up to 24 by 2029. The AR5 can carry up to 50 kg of equipment, including cameras and sensors, and has also been operated in Ukraine. It is expected to be produced at a new factory in Swindon, England.

The UK Defence Ministry projected that the AR5 contract will support more than 1,000 skilled jobs in Britain by 2030. It also said more than 30 new roles have been created so far under the small-drone contract, and 18 of those positions have been filled.