British Army spends £16M on 1,000 pocket-sized eyes in the sky

The British Army is investing £16 million ($21 million) to acquire over 1,000 pocket-sized drones for battlefield surveillance and training purposes. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) procures these drones through three UK-based small and medium-sized companies, with assistance from some overseas technology. Two models, the Skydio X10 quadcopters, are for surveillance, each weighing 2.49 kg (5.5 lb) and capable of flying at 45 mph for up to 40 minutes.

Surrey-based Marlborough Communications Limited supplies these drones to the MoD, while Skydio, the manufacturer, is based in California. Evolve Dynamics, based in Hampshire, England, provides 245 FOXE-NATO drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles. These drones are pouch-deployable, weigh less than 250 g (0.55 lb), and have a rapid deployment feature.

The remaining 110 units are SONORA drones, designed for training, which can be deployed in less than a minute and weigh under 1.8 kg (4 lb). This significant contract marks a step towards strengthening the Army's sovereign Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) capability and aims to integrate small, reliable uncrewed systems as standard equipment at the lowest tactical level.

The UK National Armaments Director Group handled the procurement, as part of Project Rapstone, an Army program aiming to move new technology from industry to the front line within 24 months. The purchase comes after a £400 million ($534 million) deal to replace the Army's problematic Watchkeeper fleet with Tekever AR5 drones. The fixed-wing AR5, larger than the quadcopters, can carry a 50 kg (110 lb) payload and remain airborne for up to 20 hours.

MoD Minister Luke Pollard emphasized the importance of providing soldiers with the best technology, emphasizing the transformative impact of these drones on the Army's ability to observe, understand, and act swiftly on the battlefield.