Britain is set to significantly expand its use of uncrewed military systems, with the Ministry of Defence confirming plans to purchase thousands of drones over the next two years while pledging to accelerate deployment by cutting through regulatory barriers.
Speaking in the House of Commons during Defence questions, Defence Minister Al Carns said the government is scaling up procurement at pace, with the MOD planning to acquire up to 5,400 drones in 2024, rising to 8,000 by 2026.
He also confirmed that a UK Uncrewed Systems Centre of Excellence will be launched later this year, aimed at improving coordination between defence, industry and academia.
Regulation ‘stifling’ progress, MPs warn
The announcement followed concerns raised by Labour MP Fred Thomas, who warned that fragmented regulation across multiple government departments and regulators is slowing innovation.
Thomas described the current regulatory framework as “stifling” for both innovators and military users, arguing that meaningful reform would require coordinated action across government. He asked whether ministers would convene departments and regulators to address the issue collectively.
In response, Carns acknowledged that regulation remains a significant constraint and said the government is drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine.
Lessons from Ukraine cited
“The majority of casualties on the frontline in Ukraine are caused by uncrewed systems,” Carns told MPs, adding that government assessments show drones and other uncrewed platforms have delivered decisive effects across maritime and air domains.
He said the new Centre of Excellence would act as “a centralised body of expertise to cut across the regulation and align regulatory freedoms with defence.”
“Enough is enough when it comes to regulation,” Carns said. “We need to get on with it and we’re going to double down over the next 12 months.”
Maritime autonomy concerns raised
Concerns were also raised by Conservative MP Rebecca Smith, who highlighted obstacles facing autonomous maritime systems. She argued that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Workboat Code is preventing autonomous vessels from being licensed to operate in UK waters.
Smith said the restrictions are holding back innovation in areas such as Plymouth, which hosts several defence firms working on maritime autonomy.
Carns acknowledged that testing and trialling uncrewed systems in both airspace and maritime environments is “full of regulatory issues and hurdles.” He said the MOD has already held multiple meetings with the Department for Transport and now has “a firm grasp of the problem.”
The next step, he said, is to “unlock legislation” to make it faster and easier for companies to develop cutting-edge technology, bring it to market and allow the MOD to procure it more rapidly.
