British soldiers are resorting to plugging military capability gaps with equipment purchased online, a Labour MP has shockingly claimed.

Former Royal Marine Fred Thomas says troops are buying drones and other electronic warfare gadgets ahead of deployment to Eastern Europe.

While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) rejects the claim, experts say it raises questions over whether the British Army faces too much red tape in the face of possible deployment.

Mr Thomas said: “Many of our soldiers have taken it upon themselves to buy tech online and tinker with it to produce contemporary capability.

“From drones that kill tanks, to electro-magnetic warfare devices - they’re not waiting around for the system to put the right kit in their hands - they are getting after it themselves.”

The MoD blasted the claim as "untrue," telling the Express: "While personnel may use limited items of individual kit on exercise and operations, such as authorised personal clothing, this is not the case for technical equipment, including drones."

They added that all technical equipment deployed on exercises and operations are “subject to robust processes of assurance and risk management to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose".

But those who have been deployed say otherwise.

Former officer Andrew Fox, who completed three tours in Afghanistan, including one attached to the US Army Special Forces, said it was "common" for soldiers to purchase the kit themselves.

He told the Express: “It is quite common. Everyone is playing catch up with drones.

"Certainly they had to in Ukraine, loads of off the shelf stuff has been bought by Ukrainian soldiers and even now you will still find crowdfunding to buy drones.

“In terms of potentially deploying to a hostile theatre without enough kit, we know the British Army is underfunded, we know they don’t have enough tanks, never mind enough drones.

“The bottom line is, we have troops deploying with radios that are older than their parents, maybe even their grandparents in some cases, we’re not in a great state.

“The lack of drones is just symptomatic of a much wider malaise.”

Defence chiefs are currently examining how the UK would contribute to a peace force in Ukraine, more than 20 years on from Britain’s invasion of Iraq, where many troops criticised the inadequate kit and equipment.

In February alone, Russia launched 3,902 drones at Ukraine, a figure that does not include those used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes.

Drone warfare in Ukraine has expanded beyond surveillance and reconnaissance, with unmanned vehicles proving lethal in an offensive capacity.

However, the capability of the UK Armed Forces to use drones in an effective lethal capacity still lags way behind that of its peers in NATO.

China currently enjoys a monopoly on the drone industry, with the vast number of drones available on the market being manufactured in China or consisting of parts made in the country.

Currently, the top 5 best selling drones on Amazon are all sold by Chinese companies, raising serious security concerns about the kit being bought and deployed by well-meaning soldiers.

Former leader of the Conservative Parry Sir Iain Duncan Smith urged the MOD to speed up their procurement of mission critical kit as he emphasised the need to develop and procure key capabilities in the UK.

He told the Daily Express: “The Army should be providing soldiers with the kit they need, they are lightyears behind.

“They need to work with companies who make these pieces of kit and buy them from there. If we go on buying them from China, it only helps China and it brings a wide range of security risks.

“The British government should be working to get proper sources and if possible, make them in the UK. Drones are changing the nature of warfare and we cannot be buying our equipment from our adversaries.

“They should get their act together and start placing contracts with British companies who either make them here, or if needs be, in Europe.”

Sir Iain’s calls echo those of defence experts who have urged the Government to take advantage of the thousands of small to medium enterprises developing inexpensive and tactically effective pieces of kit in the drone sphere.

Mr Thomas, who still serves in the Royal Marine reserves, slammed the lack of urgency being applied to the modernisation of the Armed Forces.

He added: “Everyone involved in defence gets it, but people outside don’t. John Healey gets it as does Number 10, but our paralysed system has been decades in the making and change is hard.

“As a country, we have lots of challenges and other government departments have their own priorities.

“The army gets the need for modernisation, from private soldier to general - and industry does as well, yet it has not happened. We are still sending people out without drones or anywhere near the kind of kit they need.

“The Ukraine war is demonstrating how obsolete training people in traditional ways is becoming, the majority of casualties are being sustained by drones not rifles.”

Last month, Mr Healey announced ambitious plans to reform defence procurement, saying that in its current form, it lacks accountability and is plagued by ineffectiveness.

He said: “We duplicate even the most central tasks, defence is mired in process and procedure. We’ve added complexity where simplicity is needed.

“Procurement, we’ve got a situation where we employ eleven checkers for every one decision maker. So, no wonder it takes an average six years for a large programme simply to get onto contract.”

Healey announced the creation of a National Armaments Director who will oversee transformation in the way the MOD procures by driving efficiencies, investing in British industry and simplifying processes across the three services.

Conservative MP David Reed, a former Royal Marine and defence consultant believes that the UK needs to tap into the potential of enterprising and innovative small and medium enterprises and remove bureaucracy, which often deters companies from engaging with the process required to even bid for contracts.

He said: “We need to cut lots of the MOD red tape so that it’s easier for industry to engage with the department. I understand the approach that the MOD has taken in recent decades, but the current situation dictates that there needs to be far greater collaboration between our military, defence civil servants and defence companies.

“We need to make it far easier for innovative small and medium-sized companies (SME) to deliver for our defence.

“Currently, the process that SMEs must go through to engage with defence is long and clunky, and many of them give up and find business elsewhere.

“We need the best tech and manufacturing companies to see defence as a reliable partner if we really want to scale our defence procurement.”