The UK Ministry of Defence has announced plans to build at least six new “hybrid” warships equipped with unmanned systems to carry out combat missions. This is reported by the BBC.
The British defence ministry noted that the new ships will be able to coordinate the work of unmanned systems in the air, on the sea surface and underwater. It is expected that this will significantly strengthen the air defence and combat capabilities of the Royal Navy without a significant increase in the number of crews or additional costs.
According to the BBC, the introduction of new ships into the fleet is planned for the 2030s. They will be used to counter Russian activity in the North Atlantic, protect critical underwater infrastructure and strengthen NATO’s deterrence system.
The announcement of the new program came after British forces intercepted a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker, the SMYRTOS, in the English Channel on June 14. At the time, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the operation was “a reminder to those who fuel Putin’s war in Ukraine.”
At the same time, the British government plans to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. In the future, together with other NATO allies, London intends to increase this figure to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
According to NATO, as of 2025, the United Kingdom spent 2.3% of GDP on defense, which is slightly below the average among the Alliance countries excluding the United States.
