The British Ministry of Defense has announced that in 2026 it will deliver to Ukraine "more than 20" remotely controlled anti-drone towers acquired from Estonia. These are reportedly new systems designed specifically to counter "Shahed" attack drones on a large scale and at a low cost.
The United Kingdom will also soon transfer five Raven air defense systems to Ukraine. Plans for this transfer were initially announced in the summer; they are designed to "provide front-line units with a rapid response shield against low-flying targets". Also expected soon is the transfer of Gravehawk air defense systems, announced in January. They will "enhance Ukraine's ability to defend critical infrastructure from Russian deep-sea missile salvos".
The announcement is timed to coincide with a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, informally known as the "Rammstein Group". According to the British news agency Press Association, this event is already being held via video link and is being chaired by the British and German defense ministers, John Healy and Boris Pistorius. The ministry's press release noted that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will also participate. Hegsett has been absent from at least one previous meeting in this format.
The United Kingdom has committed to supplying Ukraine with various air defense systems worth a total of 600 million British pounds (over 800 million dollars) within a year. By 2025, it has committed to supplying 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles and over 250,000 rounds of air defense ammunition.