Ukraine conflict: UK promises ‘long-range attack drones' to Kyiv

‘Drones', or unmanned aerial vehicles, have been central to Ukraine's war effort, as evidenced in this screenshot of an operator's view of a TB2 strike against a Russian position. The UK is now promising to deliver to Kyiv new long-range attack drones of an unspecified type. (Ukrainian General Staff)

The United Kingdom is to deliver to Ukraine “new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 km”, the British government announced on 15 May.

The pledge was made during a meeting in London between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, and was delivered as part of a wider raft of military assistance being offered by the UK.

“Today the prime minister will confirm the further UK provision of hundreds of air-defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems, including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 km. These will all be delivered over the coming months as Ukraine prepares to intensify its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion,” Downing Street said. “This equipment will support Ukraine over the coming months in their anticipated military surge to counter Russian forces.”