Unmanned Air Systems: Training
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February on Unmanned Air Systems: Training, how many individual units in the Field Army currently train in the use of small uncrewed air systems.
Answered by Al Carns
Training pathways for the use of small Uncrewed Air Systems (sUAS) are expanding rapidly as the Army continues to build skills in robotics and autonomous systems, informed by lessons learned from Ukraine.
Centralised sUAS training delivered by the Land Warfare Centre has been in development for much of this training year. As pathways mature, the Centre is currently scheduled to deliver 65 courses in Training Year 2026-27, with this number expected to increase or remain consistent in future years depending on uptake.
Alongside this, distributed training—delivered by individual units within the Field Army—remains a significant element of the Army’s approach. 283 distributed courses have been scheduled in the current training year, and the number of available course places is expected to grow in future years.
Exact figures on the number of units training specifically on small Uncrewed Air Systems (sUAS) are not held centrally. However, as of March 2026, 127 Army units are reported to be conducting training on Uncrewed Air Systems, the vast majority of which relates to sUAS.
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