Question follow-through · 75882

Unmanned Air Systems: Artificial Intelligence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the use of AI assisted drones during (a) night time operations and (b) periods of rest for human surveillance teams.

answeredMinistry of Defence

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence
Tabled: 8 Sept 2025
Target answer date: 10 Sept 2025
Answer: 16 Sept 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs

Armed Forces: Women · 15 Sept 2025
Armed Forces: Married People · 15 Sept 2025
Defence: Investment · 15 Sept 2025
Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance · 15 Sept 2025
Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance · 15 Sept 2025

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

Opposition Day Motion: Defence spending and readiness - Prime Minister's Amendment · 23 Jun 2026
Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness · 23 Jun 2026
Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11 · 22 Jun 2026

These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.

Recorded timeline

8 Sept 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the use of AI assisted drones during (a) night time operations and (b) periods of rest for human surveillance teams.
10 Sept 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
16 Sept 2025
Answer published
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 recommended a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK's conventional force. It stated a common digital foundation of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic environments...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Women

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support female service personnel who have served in front-line roles.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Married People

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support armed forces spouses right to work abroad in the same country as their partner.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Defence: Investment

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to p.10 of the Defence Industrial Strategy, published on 8 September 2025, what his Department's planned timetable is for setting out the membership of the Defence Investors Advisory Group.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of urgent repair call-outs to reserve bases in each month since January 2023.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the cost to the public purse for urgent repair call-outs to reserve bases in each month since January 2023.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Norway: Type 26 Frigates

15 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deal to provide Norway with Frigates on Type 23 out of service dates.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Offences against Children

16 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support survivors of child sex abuse committed (a) by military personnel and (b) on military bases.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Type 26 Frigates: Procurement

16 Sept 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure there are a total of 19 RN Type 26 frigate vessels by 2030.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Afghanistan: Resettlement

10 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people eligible under the ARAP scheme are still awaiting relocation.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Afghanistan: Resettlement

10 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the August 2025 data breach for people with outstanding ARAP applications; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that breach on the (a)

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

13 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services for (a) service personnel and (b) veterans.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Discharges

13 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the discharge process for service personnel.