Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 65 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, when he plans to launch the competitions for novel uncrewed aerial systems.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working with the Front-Line Commands (FLCs) and across the ecosystem to build on existing uncrewed systems (UxS) delivery. There is significant work ongoing across Defence on the development of UxS as we look to rapidly iterate novel capabilities, learn lessons from Ukraine, support the Government's growth agenda and grow the UK technology sector. A competition for novel uncrewed aerial systems will launch in early 2026.

There is a wide spectrum of UxS requirements from across Defence, some are complementary whilst others are bespoke to each Service. The scope and requirement of competitions for will primarily look at range, payload, size and survivability of UxS as required by the FLCs.