Overview
- Authorised defence personnel would be allowed to disable or destroy drones posing a threat near military sites without relying on police.
- The proposed authority covers aerial systems as well as land and maritime unmanned platforms, including those operating under water.
- Current UK law largely reserves drone-interference powers for police and a small set of agencies, prompting the push to let the military protect its own sites.
- The government says spending on counter‑UAS has been quadrupled to over £200 million this year, with restricted airspace at about 40 sites and new surveillance and guard‑drone measures in place.
- European reports of drone incursions included temporary airport closures in Belgium and Denmark, which experts linked to Russian activity that Moscow denies.