UK to send Ukraine missiles to shoot down Russian drones as part of £600m defence package

The UK has committed £600 million in air-defence capabilities to support Ukraine this winter (Image: Getty)

With Ukraine facing a harrowing winter of cold and blackouts as Vladimir Putin's air campaign continues to target homes, hospitals and power stations, the UK has committed £600 million in air-defence capabilities, including cutting-edge turrets that are capable of shooting down Russian drones. According to a press release published by the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Secretary, John Healey, on Wednesday (December 17), the support has already seen more than 1,000 missiles delivered to Ukraine since June, in what it calls the UK Government’s biggest single-year investment in air defence for Ukraine.

The announcement came as Mr Healey and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, co-chaired the 32nd meeting of the UDCG on Tuesday, attended by 50 nations, as well as NATO Secretary Gen, Mark Rutte, and US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. During the virtual meeting, Ukraine's supporters discussed the country’s key military needs for 2026, shared battlefield insights and planned equipment deliveries. "The UK is backing Ukraine for the long term, with more than twenty remotely guided counter-drone turrets, acquired from Estonia, set for delivery in 2026," the Ministry of Defence statement said.

The cutting-edge turrets are capable of defeating Russian Shahed-style attack drones (Image: Getty)

These new systems, designed specifically to defeat Shahed-style attack drones at scale and at lower cost, form a crucial part of Ukraine’s future defensive capabilities, it continued. Five RAVEN air-defence systems, announced in the summer, are now set to be handed over to Ukraine, providing frontline units with a rapid-reaction shield against low-flying threats. Meanwhile, the first GRAVEHAWK air-defence systems, announced in January and now being delivered, will reinforce Ukraine’s ability to protect key infrastructure from Russia’s deep-strike barrages.

In addition, the UK, with funding from international partners, has delivered over 1,000 air defence missiles and over 250,000 rounds of air defence ammunition in 2025.

"Together, this represents a major step-change in Britain’s support, ensuring Ukraine can keep the lights on and keep civilians safe through the harshest months of the war," the statement added.

The UK package aims to help Ukraine keep the lights on this winter (Image: Getty)

Mr Healey said: "Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage - military and civilians alike. The UK’s £600 million air defence investment this year is critical help to Ukrainians as they defend their towns, cities and energy infrastructure from Russia’s barbaric attacks.

"Alongside this 50-strong group of partners, we are working to deliver the vital support for Ukraine’s defence to put them in the strongest possible position to secure peace."

Central to this boost, the press release said, is the final tranche of 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), delivered ahead of schedule last autumn, which are now playing a critical role in stopping Russia’s one-way attack drones and cruise-missile strikes. The announcement also builds on the Octopus announcement between the UK and Ukraine, which will see a new state-of-the-art interceptor drone built in the UK, ready to be deployed at scale on the front line in Ukraine.

"Interceptor drones are considerably cheaper than regular air defence missiles and are proving to be highly effective in countering the waves of one-way attack drones Russia continues to launch at Ukraine’s cities," the Ministry of Defence said in a separate press release in September. "They fly quickly to intercept incoming drones and missiles, destroying them before they reach their targets."