Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Europe's largest drone testing centre opens in Swindon to boost defence innovation, published on 12 June 2026, when the Uncrewed Systems Centre will be fully operational.

The UK faces a defining moment. Our adversaries are rapidly deploying AI to enhance capability and gain strategic advantage. The UK must be ready for the modern battlespace. The Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce (TF RAID) was formally launched on 10 June and shows delivery of the Strategic Defence Review in action: shifting our conventional forces towards greater use of AI-enabled capabilities, on a timeline measured in months, not years.

AI is already widely integrated in projects across Defence in both the battle and business space. TF RAID reflects the imperative to deliver operational advantage to the frontline through AI-enabled interventions, quickly, and provides a focussed means by which to do so. The Taskforce is established now and will deliver tangible operational impact to the military commands through a series of sprints over the next six to nine months. It will not be a frontline unit operating military capability.

TF RAID is led by a Military Director at 2* level, supported by a core team of over 60 civil servants, service personnel and contractors; with wider teams providing support from across the whole of Defence. As a temporary team, the size of the core Taskforce team will vary subject to the delivery requirements. The civil servants and service personnel have been drawn from existing Defence staff, supported by talent recruited, on a temporary or fixed term basis, from the private sector.

The Taskforce’s core ‘bench’ of AI and data specialists is working alongside embedded military product owners from the Frontline Commands to ensure solutions are driven by the needs of the end-users.

Taskforce RAID is an engine for UK industry. It is adopting a co-creation model to access a broader market and boost UK SMEs. The model is designed to diversify the supplier base and lower barriers for entry for new, innovative companies. The Taskforce gives industry unique access to real-world operational problems, direct engagement with military users, and a credible, accelerated route to deployment.

The Taskforce has an initial ringfenced budget of £20 million that will allow it to focus on the most pressing operational priorities. This will be reviewed as impact is delivered