Britain will unveil its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan on Tuesday, setting out how it intends to spend a growing military budget in the coming years as it prepares for possible future conflicts, News.az reports, citing Reuters.
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Here are some of the measures already announced in the run-up to the plan’s publication:
NAVY
– Britain said its Royal Navy would become a ‘Hybrid Navy’ combining autonomous vessels and AI with warships and aircraft.
– This includes a range of uncrewed vessels with individual specialities such as submarine hunting, missile platforms and reconnaissance stations.
– The government will invest in at least six “Common Combat Vessels” to serve as control hubs for uncrewed systems. These will come into service in the 2030s.
– New high-speed boats for Royal Marine Commandos.
ARMY
– Investment in “inexpensive expendable autonomous systems and loitering munitions”
– A programme to develop uncrewed ground vehicles.
– Up to 24 autonomous armed drones by 2030 to work alongside conventional Apache helicopters.
– Up to 24 surveillance drones to replace the existing ‘Watchkeeper’ uncrewed surveillance aircraft.
AIR FORCE
– The development of new autonomous fighter jets which will fly alongside crewed jets.
