UK military prevented from flying drones over soldiers’ heads

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British troops preparing for a future war with Russia are fighting a formidable adversary closer to home — safety and data protection rules that are hampering training for drone warfare.

Soldiers have been prevented from flying drones over their comrades or using signal-jamming equipment while training on Salisbury Plain, two MPs who witnessed a recent exercise told the Financial Times. 

Ministry of Defence guidelines prevent drones weighing more than 250g — about the weight of a cucumber — from being flown over the heads of people during training, even if they are sitting in a tank.

The MPs also said they were told that the UK General Data Protection Regulation — and concerns about the impact on residents living near the training ground — had prevented soldiers from practising electronic warfare, including “hoovering up” signals data to jam drones. 

The MPs warned that stringent rules potentially leave British troops heading to the Russian border without sufficient training in modern warfare. 

“British soldiers who are deploying as part of a deterrence force to places like Estonia and eastern Europe are going out without the kind of training and capability that is completely bog-standard in warfare now, whether it is in the Middle East or in Ukraine,” said Fred Thomas, a Labour MP who sits on the defence select committee. 

In one training exercise in March, soldiers told visiting members of the House of Commons’ defence select committee that they even needed to submit multiple requests for permission to the Military Aviation Authority to fly a drone over a tank without people in it. 

The UK’s military regulations on drones are based on Civil Aviation Authority rules that aim to prevent drones being flown near airports. They require Military Aviation Authority approval for any drone flight over people, near buildings or out of sight of the operator. 

The ubiquity of cheap drones has changed the war in Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Used for artillery spotting and kinetic attacks, drones now account for 60 to 80 per cent of battlefield casualties on both sides, according to Ukrainian officials.

Both Russian and Ukrainian troops have taken to jamming radio control frequencies and video links between drones and pilots in an effort to keep the flying devices at bay.

Thomas expressed concern that regulations were impeding UK troops from mastering the same skills, adding that he had heard from soldiers buying equipment online to practice by themselves.

“They’re taking steps to try and protect themselves by going online and buying kit to then tinker around with to see if they can’t jam frequencies themselves,” he said.

One person within the military said that more remote areas of the UK could be used for signal jamming, and that expanding its use to Salisbury Plain was ultimately a political decision.

“You can’t suddenly switch off all the satnavs in Amesbury just because you’re learning about electronic warfare,” the person added.

One former soldier with knowledge of the training restrictions said that more realistic training would save lives, even if it results in more domestic disruption. “They say I can’t stand under a drone because it might fall on my head,” the person added.

The MoD said it was aware of restrictions on electronic warfare training, but said there are no specific reports of GDPR restrictions affecting activities.

“We are constantly experimenting with and embracing innovative technology, including in drone warfare,” the MoD said, adding that it was right to “balance safety with the need to train”.

“To protect operational security and non-military environments, people would also expect us to ensure that electronic warfare capabilities have some restrictions,” the MoD added.

One expert on military drone flying regulations, who asked to remain anonymous, said a draft of proposed rule changes may eventually address some of the restrictions by allowing drones to fly over soldiers’ heads provided they receive a safety briefing first.