UK gives soldiers new powers to shoot down drones over military bases
October 21, 2025
As Europe starts to respond to the new reality of serious drone threats, the United Kingdom is moving to allow its armed forces to shoot them down over military bases. The proliferation and rapid evolution of drones have put the nation’s previously secure strategic assets at risk.
British soldiers get more powers to shoot down intruding drones
British soldiers are set to be granted new powers that will allow them to shoot down drones deemed to be threatening military bases. The UK Defence Secretary John Healey outlined new measures on Monday that will allow the military to take faster action to neutralise the threats.
The Guardian reported Healey said, “We are developing new powers – to be put into law through our armed forces bill – to shoot down unidentified drones over UK military sites.”
The BBC writes that the UK’s existing protocol requires soldiers to divert drones to disrupt them using electronic warfare. They are not permitted to use kinetic options on unidentified drones unless in extreme circumstances.
For now, the new measures are only intended for military installations, but they could be extended to civilian airports or other high-sensitivity sites.
MEET "DRAGONFIRE" — THE UK'S NEW ANTI-DRONE LASER WEAPON🇬🇧
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 3, 2024
The UK has unveiled its latest defense technology, a laser weapon named "DragonFire," designed to shoot down drones.
The DragonFire can hit targets with the precision equivalent of striking a £1 coin from a kilometer… pic.twitter.com/nAuE7P7qJZ
It is unclear to what extent the military will be free to counter drones kintetically or to what degree it will feel comfortable doing so. Separately, the UK has been developing lasers to shoot down drones, although in Ukraine, old-fashioned (but computer-directed) flak fire remains one of the most effective counters.
Why the military needs to take some roles previously reserved for police
The world has entered a new reality where existing laws were designed for a previous state of affairs. It is the job of the military to defend the realm and fight foreign wars. Domestically and during peacetime, it is not the job of the military to police the country or open fire on suspicious people or their civilian equipment.
Policing is the job of the police. Current laws are written to ensure the military does not start turning its guns on its own population and their property.
However, the reality of the drone threat necessitates the updating of the law to enable the military to take kinetic action against potentially civilian drones.
Electronic warfare may not be enough to defend from a massed drone attack, and waiting for confirmation that an attack is taking place may be too late.
The United Kingdom only has a limited number of expensive assets like F-35s, Voyager tankers, or even radars on warships. It is simply not possible for the country to replace these quickly if they are destroyed or even damaged.
In recent months, drone incidents in Europe have come from multiple origins. For example, around 20 Russian one-way Shahed-style drones penetrated Polish airspace during a massed attack on Ukraine. Some flew deep into Poland and were shot down by NATO forces.
Other drones have been launched within European countries, such as those that forced Munich Airport to shut down. Meanwhile, the drones that forced Danish airports to shut down are believed to have been launched by a Russian-affiliated cargo ship.
A pressing need for urgent action against drone threats
UK military installations, including major RAF Lakenheath Air Base, where significant US Air Force assets are based, reported mystery drone sightings over the base. Similar high-profile drone incursions over bases have also occurred over US air bases in the United States.
🛞 Here comes the very serious explanation: the real reason Russia lost a large part of its strategic aviation is that, over the last three years, they got too lazy to properly cover their aircraft fuselages with tires. pic.twitter.com/hvHIjxahOy
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 2, 2025
After Ukraine’s enormously successful Operation Spiderweb, there is no longer any pretence about the danger small drones face to strategic assets. That single operation saw Ukraine destroy as much as 20% of Russia’s operational strategic bomber fleet.
Just weeks after, Israeli special forces infiltrating Iran are known to have used small drones to take out vital radars and other sensitive infrastructure, effectively paralizing and blinding the country. Israel then quickly established air superiority or air dominance over much of Iran and effectively hammered it at will.
Israeli Mossad operatives inside Iran deploying likely FPV drones designed to target Iranian air defense systems pic.twitter.com/J57SUInL0l
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) June 13, 2025
European countries have spoken about building a ‘drone wall’ able to quickly detect, track, and destroy Russian drones.
