The long overdue military blueprint: How ground troops and manned tanks will make way for drones and crewless submarines...

Published: 00:45, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 00:45, 1 July 2026 A new era of warfare was heralded by the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan yesterday, as it laid out Labour's uncosted route to improving the country's security. Traditional methods of defence, such as ground troops and manned tanks, will make way for crewless systems that have proved to be devastatingly effective in Ukraine. Through an extra £15billion of spending over four years – bringing defence investment to just 2.68 per cent of GDP by 2030 – the Navy is to be transformed into what the First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins calls 'the Hybrid Navy'. The RAF and Army are to undergo similar transitions. Spending on 'wider security', meanwhile, will jump to 4.2 per cent of GDP – with this potentially including the drive to Net Zero and tackling small-boat crossings. Here, the Daily Mail looks at the DIP's main points: The DIP's £5billion investment in drones – considered woefully short by Labour MP and reserve Royal Marines officer Al Carns – includes uncrewed systems across land, sea and air domains. And the futures of the Navy, RAF and Army will be AI-driven. The Navy's hybrid fleet will include uncrewed missile barges (Type 91) and submarines (Type 93). Sir Keir Starmer pictured in Berkshire on Tuesday morning ahead the publication of the long-delayed £15billion Defence Investment Plan, which announced a £5billion investment in drones Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns (pictured) considered the investment proposals woefully short  'Autonomous' seabed warfare systems costing £230million will also be developed to thwart Russian attacks on communication infrastructures. Manned warships will act as motherships for vast fleets of surface and subsurface vessels. To cut costs, the UK has entered shipbuilding programmes with the Netherlands and Norway. Britain will also deepen its submarine partnerships with the US and Australia as part of the Aukus group's plan to build 'up to 12' nuclear-powered attack subs. And in a nod to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, £1.3billion will be spent on mine-hunting capabilities. A further £120million will be spent this financial year on high-speed boats.  The Prime Minister announced that spending on 'wider security' will jump to 4.2 per cent of GDP - with this potentially including the drive to Net Zero and tackling small-boat crossings  As part of an overhaul of the Royal Navy, crewed vessels will be accompanied by uncrewed and autonomous platforms, with lessons learned from Ukraine's successful campaign in the Black Sea against the Russian navy incorporated into training plans Tanks and helicoptersThe £6billion, issue-riddled Ajax armoured vehicle survived – with a further £1billion to be invested to ensure she enters service. There will be a £150million shift towards uncrewed ground vehicles and £210million to deliver a suite of long-range, one-way munitions and attack drones.  Another £1billion will be spent on the Challenger 3 battle tank and £2.2billion on the 8x8-wheel Boxer all-terrain vehicle. Some £63.6billion will be spent improving the UK's nuclear deterrent, including 16 more submarines, a replacement for the Mk4 warhead, the creation of a nuclear fuel cycle and improved dock facilities. The country's nuclear deterrent will be prioritised, including through investment in current and future warheads and submarine programmes, as well as critical infrastructure upgrades. The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) will support a supply chain of 6,000 UK-based companies and 65,000 jobs by 2035. The proportion of the defence budget devoted to the DNE is expected to increase to between 20 and 25 per cent. The DIP said: 'We are building new attack submarines, new ballistic missile submarines, new warheads and new infrastructure as well as a new nuclear fuels programme. 'This work is a national endeavour with central and local government, industry and academia working together to deliver vital programmes'. The Government will also fund the 'nuclear triple lock' – consisting of four Dreadnought submarines, a nuclear warhead programme and the transformation of manufacturing sites. Your browser does not support iframes. Air defencesBritain's coastline will be beefed up by the Integrated Air and Missile Defence system, with Typhoon and F-35 jets defending the skies. Counter-drone capabilities will also be supported through £750million being invested in short-range programmes, such as Sky Hammer and Rapid Sentry. The number of Sky Sabre air defence missile systems will be doubled. Around £190million will be spent on short-range ballistic missiles and £400million will head towards the Land Lethality Pipeline to develop weapons to enhance the Army's killing power by tenfold. There will also be a 12 per cent increase in Special Forces funding, though the equipment it will pay for and the precise sum is classified.  The UK Military Intelligence Services will be a 'global leader', according to the DIP, by delivering cutting-edge data and anticipating threats. The UK is to continue its partnership with Japan and Italy to build the sixth-generation £8billion GCAP stealth jet. There had been speculation the UK would seek to manoeuvre itself out of the commitment, considering the rising costs and changes to the envisaged role of the Tempest jet. Apache helicopters will be protected by scores of armed drones flying in formation. In a blow to military families, a scheme to regenerate housing has been 'back-ended'. Repairs to 14,000 ailing properties will take place in the 2030-2035 period, not before. The delays cover Single Living Accommodation for unmarried personnel. But £470million will be invested in base security, reflecting the domestic terror threat after break-ins at sites such as RAF Brize Norton. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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