Britain eyes Ukraine’s drone defense experience to tackle prison contraband deliveries
Illustrative photo: Britain wants to use Ukraine's experience to combat drones (GettyImages)
Great Britain plans to use Ukraine’s experience in countering unmanned aerial vehicles to combat drones that deliver weapons and drugs to British prisons, reports Sky News.
UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy visited Ukraine as part of a trip marking the 100-year security partnership between the two countries.
The purpose of the visit was to study Ukrainian methods of countering drones used in the war against Russia and the possibility of applying them in the British penitentiary system.
According to Lammy, the government has already instructed the prison service to adopt Ukraine’s developments in the field of countering drones.
He emphasized that drones over prisons pose a direct threat to national security, which is why Britain is investing millions of pounds in modern technologies and protection systems.
According to official data, from April 2024 to March 2025, 1,712 drone-related incidents were recorded in prisons in England and Wales — a 43% increase compared to the previous year. Since 2021, the number of such cases has increased more than elevenfold.
As the outlet writes, powerful agricultural drones capable of lifting loads of up to 80 kg could, in the future, even be used for prison escapes.
Ukraine has become a leading expert in drone warfare and is now training NATO allies on how to effectively counter Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.
