The UK government is poised to give British troops and Ministry of Defence (MoD) police the legal authority to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that pose threats to UK military installations, Defence Secretary John Healey announced Monday.

The new powers are to be introduced via the upcoming Armed Forces Bill, signalling a major shift in the UK’s approach to counter-drone defence.

Currently, UK forces rely on electronic measures — such as signal jamming and GPS disruption — to neutralise threatening drones.

Under the new provisions, troops will have a formal “kinetic option” to destroy drones on sight when they are assessed to pose an imminent threat to key military sites.

Healey emphasised that while the initial focus is strictly on military locations, the government is considering extending the powers to cover other critical infrastructure — including major airports.

The timing of the announcement reflects heightened concerns across Europe about drone incursions tied to Russian operations. For instance, 19 uncrewed Russian drones entered Polish airspace last month, prompting NATO responses.

In September alone, Russia reportedly launched more than 3,000 one-way attack drones into Ukraine.

British airbases have also recorded suspicious drone activity, including incidents at bases used by U.S. forces, raising alarms about domestic vulnerability.

In his speech at the Lord Mayor of London Defence & Security Lecture, Healey is expected to say: “Here at home, we continue to defend ourselves daily from threats reaching from the seabed to cyberspace. 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 UK is already investing heavily in counter-drone systems, including directed-energy weapons and radio-frequency systems capable of neutralising large drone swarms.

The move to grant troops shoot-down powers complements these efforts, closing a gap between detection/disruption and decisive kinetic response.

For now, the “shoot-down” powers will apply only to specified military sites. But the precedent raises questions about future expansion of authority to civilian infrastructure. On the legislative front, the Armed Forces Bill is expected to undergo parliamentary scrutiny, with debates likely around criteria for use, accountability, and oversight.

The shift underscores the UK’s broader strategic adjustment: recognising that unmanned threats may now demand military-style responses even on home soil. How the doctrine is applied — and whether the powers remain confined to the military realm — will reveal much about how the UK balances national security with civil liberties in the drone age. (ILKHA)