The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Anartes a contract worth five million pounds ($6.6 million) to deliver drone kits and training systems supporting the British Army’s first-person view (FPV) program. The initiative aims to strengthen the army’s in-house drone warfare capabilities by integrating FPV operations into its tactical training curriculum.
Under the agreement, Anartes will provide training kits that allow soldiers to learn how to operate FPV drones for precision strike missions. The systems can later be equipped with simulated munitions, including anti-tank, anti-personnel, and anti-structure payloads, to support advanced live training. The order includes at least 1,000 units each of five-inch (12.7 cm), eight-inch (20.3 cm), and ten-inch (25.4 cm) FPV quadcopters. Each drone set is supplied with FPV goggles and batteries, using commercial off-the-shelf components and open-source firmware that enable easy maintenance and assembly in the field.
Training activities will be conducted at Lulworth Camp, where instructors—already trained in FPV flight—will complete a two-day familiarization course using multiple drone systems. Soldiers are required to complete 15 hours of simulator instruction before progressing to live flight operations, ensuring they can safely operate drones in realistic battlefield conditions.
The Anartes contract reinforces the British Army’s FPV initiative, first introduced in 2024 under the Defence Drone Strategy, which seeks to expand drone warfare expertise within front-line units. Over the past year, the army has increased the number of FPV pilot courses and upgraded its simulation and targeting training infrastructure. Parallel developments are underway across other UK services, with the Royal Navy deploying small autonomous drones for shipborne reconnaissance and resupply, and the Royal Air Force inducting the Protector RG Mk1 unmanned system into active service.
