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The UK Ministry of Defence is advancing legal changes in the Armed Forces Bill to give British defence personnel explicit authority to neutralize drones and other unmanned platforms deemed threatening near military bases and operations, a power currently more constrained and typically exercised by police and select agencies. The MoD cited a sharp rise in reported unmanned aerial intrusions near sensitive UK sites (266 in 2025 vs. 126 in 2024) and indicated the practical response will often rely on electronic countermeasures (e.g., RF jamming) rather than small-arms fire; recent examples and demonstrations referenced include RF jamming incidents and UK testing of directed-energy counter-drone systems (high-energy RF and laser-based capabilities).
Separately, the U.S. Marine Corps’ 2nd Maintenance Battalion announced an NDAA-compliant modular drone, HANX, designed to avoid China-sourced parts and to be rapidly manufactured and repaired using 3D-printed components in-house. The stated intent is to shorten procurement and sustainment timelines by reducing reliance on external contractors while enabling quick reconfiguration for missions ranging from reconnaissance to “one-way attack” roles, reflecting a broader push toward more secure, domestically supportable unmanned systems within U.S. defense organizations.
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The UK moved forward with an Armed Forces Bill that would allow defense personnel to neutralize threatening unmanned aerial, land, and underwater systems near bases and operations. The Ministry of Defence said the change was needed because current law largely reserves such powers for police and certain agencies.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported 266 sightings of unmanned intruders near sensitive military sites in 2025, up from 126 in 2024. The increase was cited as a key driver for expanding military counter-drone authority and investment.
In December, marines responding to drones over a French nuclear submarine facility were initially reported to have opened fire, but the response was later clarified as use of a jammer. The incident was cited as an example of practical counter-drone measures.
At the II Marine Expeditionary Force Innovation Campus, Sgt. Henry David Volpe and a small team designed and prototyped the HANX drone in roughly 90 days for the U.S. Marine Corps' 2nd Maintenance Battalion. The system was built around in-house production, 3D-printed parts, and avoidance of restricted adversary-country components.
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U.S. military leaders said small unmanned aircraft are increasingly threatening both domestic installations and overseas operations, prompting a broader push to improve counter-drone defenses. Gen. Gregory Guillot told lawmakers that **350 drone detections** were reported over the past year across **100 U.S. military installations**, with the primary concern being surveillance of sensitive capabilities by known and unknown actors. He said existing authorities under `Title 10, Section 130i` are too narrow because only about half of installations are covered and commanders often cannot act against drones flying just outside base perimeters. NORTHCOM and NORAD have since established a dedicated counter-drone operations branch, and the Pentagon designated NORTHCOM as the lead coordinator for counter-small UAS efforts in the continental United States and Alaska. At the same time, the Pentagon is continuing to send counter-UAS systems to the Middle East through **Joint Interagency Task Force 401** as regional tensions and an unstable ceasefire sustain demand for air defense. JIATF-401 said it committed more than **$600 million** in counter-drone defenses for Operation Epic Fury and domestic missions, including about **$350 million** in roughly 30 days for CENTCOM. Officials and outside experts said the threat now spans Iran-backed drone activity, lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, unauthorized flights over bases such as **Barksdale Air Force Base**, southern border operations, and security planning for major events including the **2026 FIFA World Cup**. The Defense Department is also testing commercially available systems through Falcon Peak exercises to detect, track, identify, and defeat low-emission and no-emission drones.
Jun 29, 2026
The UK Ministry of Defence reported a sharp increase in **drone sightings near British military bases**, citing **266 incidents** last year versus **126 in 2024**, and linked the trend to concerns about hostile reconnaissance of sensitive defence sites, including airbases used by the **US Air Force**. In response, the UK government is moving to expand authorities under the **Armed Forces Bill** so designated military personnel can directly intervene against threatening uncrewed systems—covering **air, land, and submersible drones**—without first requiring police involvement. In Ukraine, **SpaceX and Ukrainian authorities** implemented an **emergency measure** to disable **unauthorized Starlink terminals** being used to control Russian long-range drones, following reports that Russia continued leveraging Starlink-enabled connectivity for strikes deeper inside Ukraine. Ukrainian officials characterized the action as a temporary fix that may also disrupt some legitimate users, while SpaceX and Ukraine pursue a more durable approach to prevent unauthorized use of the satellite service in contested environments—highlighting how **commercial communications infrastructure** is being exploited as part of drone-enabled warfare and broader hybrid threats across Europe.
Jul 3, 2026
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice issued an interim final rule expanding counter-`UAS` authority to qualified state and local law enforcement agencies, allowing them to use drone-detection technology and, for specially trained personnel, to mitigate or disable drones deemed public safety threats. The rule took effect retroactively from July 1, 2026, requires annual accreditation through an FBI-operated federal portal, officer certification for detection activities, operational coordination and reporting, and a two-week mitigation training course at the FBI’s National Counter-UAS Training Center at Redstone Arsenal for personnel authorized to take drones down. Officials cited rising risks to critical infrastructure and more than 600 drone incidents in restricted airspace during the ongoing World Cup as justification for the change, while public comments remain open through September 4. The expanded framework builds on federal counter-drone powers first established in 2018 and broadened again through a 2025 defense funding measure, extending practical enforcement reach beyond federal agencies. Civil liberties advocates warn that the same authorities can enable broad seizure of drones under civil forfeiture rules, with owners potentially losing aircraft even when they are caught by complex temporary flight restrictions or overlapping FAA authorization systems such as `LAANC`. The debate has sharpened around whether the new regime appropriately addresses security threats or gives law enforcement excessive discretion to confiscate or neutralize drones used by ordinary operators near major events and other sensitive locations.
Jul 16, 2026