Britain's Armed Forces have lost more advanced drones due to a five-year procurement delay that cost more than half a billion pounds, the Telegraph writes.

The Defense Department ordered 16 drones with the intention of using them in British Air Force reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance operations. In addition to providing friendly surveillance for British units, the drones can be equipped with bombs and missiles.

However, they are not currently expected to be available until November 2023.

At the same time, their cost has increased from £816 million in 2016 to a projected budget of £1.35 billion, with ministers having to spend an additional £50 million to extend the existing MoD Reaper program.

Justin Bronk, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Telegraph that the Protector UAV has several advantages over the Reaper.

One major advantage, he said, is that it is certified to operate in civilian airspace, whereas the Reaper is not, allowing the Royal Air Force to use them for training and operations in Britain and Europe.

Bronk said that if the drones were available, they could potentially be used to perform additional reconnaissance flights along NATO's borders.

He noted that defense procurement has been affected by a culture of preconceived optimism and that delaying programs because of short-term availability has been one of the persistent factors that lead to large cost overruns in British military procurement.