UK military will be able to shoot down mystery drones soon
Unidentified drones flying near British military bases will be shot down under new plans set to be unveiled by Defence Secretary John Healey.
The major move was made after there were multiple sightings of unidentified drones by RAF bases Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Feltwell and Fairford last year.
Soldiers are normally told to jam the drone’s GPS signals or use counter-drone equipment to deter them.
Soon, the military will have a ‘kinetic option’, which would allow troops and Ministry of Defence police to shoot down drones near military sites in ‘extreme’ circumstances.
Although the new powers will initially apply only to military sites, the British government isn’t ‘ruling out working to extend those powers’ to other important sites like airports, the Telegraph reported.
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Around 60 RAF personnel were assigned to help solve the UK mystery after the first drones were detected on three consecutive nights beginning November 20 last year, possibly as part of an inter-linked ‘swarm’.
American forces use all of the air force sites where drones were spotted last year, with the militarily significant Lakenheath base storing American F-15 and F-35 combat aircraft. It is also due to host US nuclear warheads.
It’s not just the UK seeing these drones appear – multiple European military sites have also reported the objects.
Late last month, a spate of drone sightings caused alarm across northern Europe and Scandinavia.
How many drone incidents were there over or near UK military bases in 2024?
- Drone alarm activation, nothing found: 111
- Drone alarm activation, pilot found, words of advice: 58
- UAV/drone/quadcopter activity over prohibited space: 47
- UAV/drone/quadcopter activity in the vicinity of the areas surrounding military/industrial partners: 37
- Drones sighted, no pilot located: 6
- Drone alarm activation, pilot found, evasive, searched and arrested: 1
- Drone alarm activation, pilot found, warning issued: 1
- Drone found on the floor at the site, NFA: 1
- Drone found on the inside of the fence in the grass: 1
- Total: 263
(Source: Ministry of Defence Police)
The army in Norway reported seeing a possible drone near the Ørland air force base in Brekstad, as guards logged at least two reports of suspicious activity over the base, which is home to Norway’s F-35 fighter jets, according to FVN.
Meanwhile, suspicious drone activity was reported in Denmark over the Karup military airport – the country’s largest military site – alongside sightings over other locations.
The Danish defence ministry confirmed that ‘several’ drones were observed over military sites but it has not confirmed a full list of locations.
In Estonia, a member of the public discovered a drone fragment at the Luitemaa nature reserve south of Pärnu, the ERR reported.
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