Hundreds of drone-related security incidents have been recorded at or near British military sites, raising grave concerns among former defence officials that the UK is not moving quickly enough to protect bases and critical infrastructure from a rapidly evolving threat.
Figures obtained by The Independent through a Freedom of Information request show that 340 security incidents involving drones were recorded at or near Ministry of Defence sites in the UK in the year to August 2026.
The figure represents a significant increase from 250 incidents recorded during 2025 and is almost three times the 126 incidents logged in 2024.
The Ministry of Defence has not attributed responsibility for the incidents, so the figures do not establish that hostile states carried them out. But they come amid heightened tensions with Russia and Iran and a broader European reassessment of the security risks posed by inexpensive unmanned aircraft.
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Former Conservative defence minister and Army veteran Tobias Ellwood said the frequency of incidents suggested that British military infrastructure was being viewed “as a target”, while warning that surveillance drones could relatively easily be adapted to carry weapons.
he told The Independent: “In the UK we are doing nothing about protecting our critical national infrastructure, as well as military bases, and it’s such an easy way to disrupt.
“At the moment these are just rogue drones, and they’re passive, but it’s not a huge step to then add a kinetic dimension to them to make them introduce lethality.
“All this points to the fact that we are not taking the rise in threat levels that our European cousins are addressing seriously at all.”
The comments highlight a widening European concern that drones are becoming a low-cost means of reconnaissance, disruption and potentially attack against military installations, airports, energy facilities and other critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Defence rejected suggestions that Britain was ignoring the threat, saying national security remained the government’s first duty.
“The public should be reassured that the UK and its allies remain vigilant against potential threats and adversaries should be in no doubt about this Government’s resolve to stand against aggression towards the UK and our allies.”
The department said Russia was “constantly probing us and testing” Britain, while maintaining that the government did not believe Vladimir Putin was seeking a “direct confrontation” with Nato.
Britain’s air-defence capabilities are distributed across the Royal Navy, Army and RAF. The MoD has allocated £790mn to counter drone and missile threats in Britain and around overseas military bases.
The incidents have nevertheless taken on greater significance as Moscow has escalated its rhetoric towards Britain over military support for Ukraine.
Russia summoned Britain’s deputy head of mission in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, to protest against the supply of drones and other weapons to Kyiv.
The Russian foreign ministry said Moscow had warned the diplomat that it reserved the right to take “necessary retaliatory measures”, framing any future response as an act of self-defence.
“It was confirmed that any British facilities in Ukraine that are used to strike the Russian territory shall be considered a legitimate target,” the ministry said. “It was stressed that full responsibility for any possible further adverse development of the situation lies with London.”
The statement raises the prospect of an increasingly direct confrontation between Moscow and London over the use of Western-supplied weapons by Ukraine, although Russia has not said that it intends to attack British territory.
The Foreign Office rejected the Russian warning, accusing Moscow of attempting to shift attention away from its invasion of Ukraine.
“This is yet another attempt to deflect attention from Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine and discredit the UK on the world stage.
“We are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself and will not let up on our support to secure a just and lasting peace.”
For British defence planners, the increase in drone incidents presents a more immediate challenge than the prospect of a conventional attack. Unmanned aircraft are relatively inexpensive, difficult to identify before they reach a target and can be used repeatedly to test security procedures.
The distinction between nuisance activity and hostile reconnaissance is therefore becoming increasingly important. A drone does not need to carry a weapon to impose costs on the military: repeated incursions can force bases to alter operations, deploy additional surveillance and reveal weaknesses in perimeter security.
The scale of the incidents also points to a broader shift in the nature of the threat facing Britain. As European governments prepare for a more contested security environment, protecting military installations may increasingly depend not only on conventional air defence but on the ability to detect, identify and neutralise small unmanned systems before they can disrupt critical operations.
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