UK Defence Investment Plan allocates £298bn, boosts space and drone programmes

Britain’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) sets out a £298 billion spending programme over the next four years, marking the largest defence investment uplift in a generation. Of this, £3.2 billion is earmarked for the space domain between FY2026/27 and FY2029/30, split between satellite communications (£2.3 bn) and space‑based ISR and space‑control (£880 m). The plan outlines five major space investment strands, including sovereign ISR, deep‑space radar jointly with the US and Australia, new space‑control capabilities, an Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre, and extended work on the SKYNET satellite programme.

In the maritime sector, the DIP abandons the planned Type 83 destroyer and instead funds at least six Common Combat Vessels to serve as hubs for uncrewed systems. More than £5 billion will be spent on a broad range of air, land and sea drones, from small quadcopters to autonomous missile platforms and jet‑powered drone swarms supporting aircraft such as the F‑35B. The shift reflects a move toward autonomous systems across the armed forces, linking space‑based communications and intelligence to emerging drone capabilities.