Weak defences warning as Britain's stockpile of military drones would run out within HOURS of a war starting
BRITAIN's military drones would run out within hours of a war starting.
The stockpile, including RAF, Army and Navy weapons, is under 2,000 aircraft.
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Ukraine burns through 3,000 to 6,000 a day, say UK estimates.
Its weapons range from shop-bought quadcopters no bigger than pizza box to long-range bombers that blitz Moscow.
One defence source said: 'The UK has a huge capability gap. Drones are deciding the war in Ukraine.
'If either side gets drone superiority, even briefly, we have seen them make gains.
'The UK knows this. We are sending drones to Ukraine but have hardly any of our own.'
This week, Ukraine hit Moscow missile factories with drones. And footage emerged of a fibre-optic attack drone flying inside a Russian warehouse of armoured vehicles.
These are immune to signal jamming as they are tethered to their pilots by fibre-optic cable.
The MoD vowed to start building large, one-way attack drones last year but they are yet to enter production.
Meanwhile, drones like Russia's Zala Lancet, which loiter until spotting a target, are not due until 2027.
Defence chiefs spent £200million on a loitering Fire Shadow drone but scrapped it in 2018.
'IMPOSSIBLE' BOMB Ukraine pins hopes on 'INVINCIBLE' drone to turn tide of war
Most of the UK's drones are designed for surveillance, such as the Navy's new Peregrine spycopters, or for dropping bombs and firing missiles.
The RAF does have Storm Shroud drones which fly alongside jets to blind enemy radars.
The MoD insisted: 'The UK is well prepared to defend itself.
'We are investing in drone technology and operate a variety of large, medium, and small drones across all three services which offer distinct operational capabilities.
"We take the threats we face very seriously and the Strategic Defence Review is examining the capabilities we need to continue to keep Britain safe.'
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