Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 06 March 2025 to Question 34642 on Army: Uncrewed Systems, whether uncrewed ground vehicles are being considered by the (a) British Army and (b) his Department.

The Army has conducted considerable concept and assessment work into Human Machine Teaming over the last five-years, including trials with several uncrewed ground vehicles to consider their ability to share the soldier's burden, evacuate casualties, conduct resupply and more complex tasks such as surveillance and fire support. More recently, the Army has trialed autonomous minefield clearance to remove soldiers from more hazardous environments. Ultimately, uncrewed ground vehicles will allow the Army to reduce the risk to our soldiers' lives and achieve greater efficacy.

The Ministry of Defence has c£4.5 billion of current and planned investment in uncrewed systems across all three services. In addition, our drone strategy harnesses innovative capabilities from across Defence, enabling rapid integration, testing and evaluation of uncrewed systems whilst working in lockstep with industry. It will equip personnel of all 3 services with critical intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, strike and logistical capabilities.