BRITAIN has signed a fresh £30million deal to arm Ukraine with attack drones — as fears grow over US support drying up.
Defence Secretary John Healey made the agreement with Anglo-American firm Anduril.
Britain has signed a fresh £30million deal to arm Ukraine with attack drones
Its new Altius 600m and 700m drones are designed to hover over an area before striking targets which enter it.
It comes ahead of crunch talks between Mr Healey and US defence boss Pete Hegseth, where Washington’s move to curb intelligence-sharing with Ukraine will be high on the agenda.
Mr Healey, who visited Anduril’s Washington HQ on Wednesday, said: “We are determined to achieve a secure, lasting peace in Ukraine.
“This means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to prevent any return to Russian aggression.”
Britain has already sent over 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s forces, which have played a crucial role in taking out Russian troops and supply lines.
The deal is part of a wider push to ramp up Ukraine’s defences, including a £2.26 billion loan from frozen Russian assets and £1.6 billion worth of air defence missiles announced last week.
At the same time, Britain is backing Europe’s bid to reduce reliance on US drone tech.
Italian defence giant Leonardo has struck a deal with Turkish drone maker Baykar to develop next-generation unmanned aircraft.
British military sensor tech from Edinburgh and Luton are set to play a key role.
The first model, the Baykar Akinci drone, will be fitted with Leonardo’s radar and electronics, making it as deadly as a fighter jet.
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