LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Britain's military bases experienced a doubling of drone incidents last year, highlighting the changing nature of warfare and prompting the government to hand more powers to its forces to protect sites from aerial threats.
In 2025, there were 266 reported uncrewed aerial vehicle incidents near defence sites in Britain, up from 126 reported in 2024, part of a wider trend of European airspace being targeted by drones.
"The doubling of rogue drones near military sites in the UK in the last year underlines the increasing and changing nature of the threats we face," Defence minister John Healey said in a statement on Monday.
Drone incursions forced airports in Belgium and Denmark to close for hours at a time in the last few months of 2025, with experts saying the incidents had the hallmarks of Russian interference, a charge denied by Moscow.
In order to counter the threat from drones to British bases, Healey said military officers would be given new powers to destroy drones operating near them, an action that previously required the involvement of the police.
The new powers will also mean the military can destroy land drones and unmanned vehicles operating under water.
Healey said security at military sites had been stepped up. Last June, pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base, damaging and spraying red paint over two planes used for refuelling and transport.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Paul Sandle)
