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22 Jan 2026
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Modernisation

New drone degree for soldiers unveiled

Military personnel demonstrating equipment to a crowd inside a large industrial space with camouflage-covered tables.

Aspiring Defence engineers will be fast-tracked to careers in cutting-edge military technology through a new defence-focused undergraduate drone degree.

The new course, which starts in September 2026, is already open for enrolment at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment gave a demonstration of drone skills to the Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP, who visited NMITE to meet all those involved in delivering the new course.

He said: "In Ukraine, drones are causing more casualties than artillery, that's the reality of modern warfare.

“This degree gives young engineers a fast track to careers at the cutting edge, protecting Britain and powering growth in places like Hereford.

“These graduates will strengthen our Armed Forces and help push forward advances in civilian and commercial drone technology."

Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP

A man in a navy jacket uses a handheld device while surrounded by military personnel in camouflage uniforms indoors.

“These graduates will strengthen our Armed Forces and help push forward advances in civilian and commercial drone technology, developing homegrown talent, building British capabilities, from battlefield to business.”

Group of people engaged in a serious discussion in an indoor setting.

Building homegrown talent for the future battlefield

The £240,000 investment from the British Army will deliver the three-year degree to train a cohort of civilian students and up to five soldiers each year as drone technology specialists.

The degree forms part of a broader effort to deliver the Strategic Defence Review's ambition to make the British Army ten times more lethal through the integration of AI, drones and autonomous systems.

By building a pipeline of homegrown talent with specialist STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills, Defence is addressing critical workforce gaps while positioning the UK at the forefront of next-generation military capability.

“This is the first pilot course where there’ll not only be civilian students on the course but also military students."

Colonel Toby Till MBE, Colonel Army Training

British soldier in camouflage uniform demonstrating drone controls to a group inside a large industrial space.

A pilot course for soldiers and civilians

Colonel Toby Till MBE, Colonel Army Training, said: “This drone project is going to be key for the British Army to increase its lethality.

“What we’re doing here with our partners at NMITE and local drone companies is to learn how to build, fix and upgrade drones to help win in any future fight we may be involved in.

“We take all the lessons we see in Ukraine or any other conflict in the world and see that drones are here to stay.

“This is the first pilot course where there’ll not only be civilian students on the course but also military students.

“The aim is to use this as a footprint to replicate across other locations in the UK.

“By this time next year we want every brigade in the Army to have dipped into NMITE, upskilling themselves and going back into the Field Army to spread those skills.

“We’ve learned how to build and programme these machines on certain courses, but I would absolutely love to enlist on this degree because it’s an amazing opportunity to further understand and master what drone technology is all about.”

Lance Corporal Ryan Praties, 2 R YORKS

Group of military personnel and civilians standing behind a table with various equipment in an industrial setting.

Military drone controller and laptop with simulation software on a camouflaged table inside a training facility.

Mastering rapidly emerging technology

Lance Corporal Ryan Praties, 24, from Leeds, was one of the 2 RYORKS team at NMITE displaying the range of drones the British Army currently operates with.

“We’ve been part of the Experimental Trials Group for about three years now, including testing new drones and bringing them into the battlefield, creating new tactics and integrating them.

“It’s about nailing multiple systems and being comfortable with rapidly emerging technology and really putting it into effective use as a force multiplier.

“We’ve learned how to build and programme these machines on certain courses, but I would absolutely love to enlist on this degree because it’s an amazing opportunity to further understand and master what drone technology is all about.”

Expressions of interest are now open for the course starting in September 2026 and those interested can register for updates here.