Sir Keir Starmer hails new British 'StormShroud' drones coming into operation

New British air systems are set to come into operation on Friday as Sir Keir Starmer vowed the government would "take bold action to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security".

The autonomous StormShroud drones will be equipped with a signal jammer able to disrupt enemy signal radar from a long range to protect RAF crews it will fly alongside on frontline missions. "Learnings from countering [Vladimir] Putin's illegal war in Ukraine" were used to develop the cutting-edge technology, according to Number 10.

The prime minister thanked staff who worked on the drones during a visit to defence contractor Leonardo UK in Bedfordshire on Friday. "StormShroud is an incredibly forward-looking piece of kit and capability that will help us as we go forward," Sir Keir said.

The RAF will initially invest £19m into the cutting-edge drones, which utilise electronic warfare technology BriteStorm made by Leonardo UK. It comes as Tekever, the company which manufactures the drones, announced a further £400m investment in the UK in a move the government hailed as supporting hundreds of new British jobs.

Read more:Calls for UK to withdraw from treaty banning landminesRachel Reeves confirms £2.2bn defence boost Speaking ahead of the Bedfordshire visit, Sir Keir said: "Investment in our defence is an investment in this country's future." He added: "Putting money behind our armed forces and defence industry is safeguarding our economic and national security by putting money back in the pockets of hard-working British people and protecting them for generations to come. "Together with our allies, this government is taking the bold action needed to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security, which is vital for us to deliver our Plan for Change and improve lives of working people up and down the country.".