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The General & The Journalist · Yesterday · 9 min

EXPLAINER: Britain's £5 billion drone gamble

Could Britain replace billion-pound warships with fleets of uncrewed vessels – and what happens when the technology fails? In this bonus audio explainer, The Sunday Times’s Mark Urban examines Britain’s £5 billion bet on uncrewed warfare, shaped by the lethal lessons of Ukraine. Military planners hope networks of specialised drones and automated platforms can cut costs, protect personnel and transform the battlefield. But with major conventional programmes still competing for funding, is Britain building the armed forces of the future or creating dangerous new vulnerabilities? Producer: Stephanie Bosset Image: Dana Chan, Getty Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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show notes

Could Britain replace billion-pound warships with fleets of uncrewed vessels – and what happens when the technology fails?


In this bonus audio explainer, The Sunday Times’s Mark Urban examines Britain’s £5 billion bet on uncrewed warfare, shaped by the lethal lessons of Ukraine. Military planners hope networks of specialised drones and automated platforms can cut costs, protect personnel and transform the battlefield.


But with major conventional programmes still competing for funding, is Britain building the armed forces of the future or creating dangerous new vulnerabilities? 


Producer: Stephanie Bosset 

Image: Dana Chan, Getty

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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