British defence personnel will soon have legal authority to take down drones near military bases under the Armed Forces Bill, which received its second reading on January 26.
The legislation, announced February 2 by Defence Secretary John Healey, addresses a sharp escalation in drone activity: 266 incidents at MoD sites in 2025, up from 126 the previous year. Current law restricts drone interference to police for crime prevention. The new powers let authorised personnel at defence sites detect, prevent, and neutralise threatening unmanned systems - aerial, land, or maritime - without waiting for law enforcement.
The technology behind the words
When Healey said personnel would "shoot down" drones, he meant radio frequency jammers, not firearms. French marines made the same semantic confusion in December when they "opened fire" on drones at a nuclear submarine base - they fired a jammer, not guns.
The MoD has demonstrated more permanent solutions: a Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon that fries drone electronics with high-energy radio waves, and a vehicle-mounted high-energy laser. Both passed trials in 2024-2025. The real question is procurement timelines and which systems get deployed where.
The spending tells the story
Counter-drone spending has quadrupled under the current government, exceeding £200M in 2026. Recent deployments include restricted airspace at 40 sites, guard drones, advanced CCTV, and automated track-and-detect systems for 24/7 surveillance.
This matters beyond UK borders. The same threat profile - cheap commercial drones, perimeter vulnerability, integration with existing security infrastructure - applies to critical infrastructure globally. APAC firms targeting UK defence contracts or securing data centres, utilities, and government facilities face similar requirements.
The physical security gap was exposed last year when activists breached Brize Norton airbase and sprayed paint into aircraft engines. CCTV upgrades and AI-integrated surveillance are as much about human threats as aerial ones. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper subsequently designated the activist group as terrorists.
What to watch
The Bill's passage through Parliament, procurement announcements for specific C-UAS systems, and whether similar powers extend to critical infrastructure operators beyond defence sites. New drone regulations effective January 1, 2026 mandate UK class marks and restrict flights near people and sensitive sites - the legislative framework is tightening across civilian and military domains.