Military to get new powers to shoot down drones menacing British bases
Defence Secretary John Healey set out the planned changes to the law in a speech in London on Monday.
New powers will allow the military to shoot down drones around UK bases, Defence Secretary John Healey has announced.
Drones have been sighted at military bases including some used by US forces in the UK while countries across Europe have also experienced disruption, with speculation Russia could be behind some of the incidents.
The new powers to protect military bases will be included in the Armed Forces Bill, with Mr Healey pledging to “do what’s needed to defend the British people”.
The UK sent specialist counter-drone experts to Denmark in September after suspicious activity, while last year a number of unidentified drones were spotted on multiple occasions over three airbases used by US forces in the UK – RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk.
Russia’s extensive use of the technology in the invasion of Ukraine has seen more than 3,000 one-way attack drones deployed so far in October, following 5,500 in September.
Mr Healey used a speech in London to explain this is part of wider aggression by Vladimir Putin’s state across Europe.
“Russian aggression has escalated, it’s extended even further west,” he said.
More attack drones are launched into Ukraine every month, with 19 crossing the border into Poland last month and Russian jets violating Estonian airspace days later, he said.
He noted Russia had at the same time mounted a “concerted campaign to subvert the Moldovan election”.
“And here at home, we continue to defend ourselves daily against threats ranging from the seabed to cyberspace.
“And we will always do what’s needed to defend the British people and as we speak, we are developing new legal powers to bring down unidentified drones over UK military bases.”
