The UK government wants to give military personnel new powers to shoot down unidentified drones near British bases, citing a doubling in reported drone incidents around defense installations last year, as European countries have accused Russia of threatening NATO nations with “hybrid warfare”.

“In 2025, there were 266 reported incidents of unmanned aerial vehicles near defense sites, an increase on the 126 incidents reported in 2024,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Monday announcing the proposed changes to British laws. Current laws require troops to call local police when a suspected illegal drone is spotted near a base.

“The doubling of rogue drones near UK military sites in the past year highlights the growing and changing nature of the threats we face,” British Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement. “Through Draft law on the armed forcesgiving our military greater authority to remove and shoot down threatening drones near bases. And increasing investment in anti-drone technology to keep Britain safe at home and strong abroad.”

According to the ministry, the new law will give “authorized personnel” the “authority to remove drones deemed to pose a threat to any defense location without the need for police assistance,” including aerial, naval and “ground-based drones.”

Drones of all kinds – land, sea and air — have become vital tools for both sides amid the ongoing, full scope of Russia invasion of Ukraine. However, over the past year, European NATO members have reported unidentified drones near military bases and civilian infrastructure hundreds of miles from Ukraine, forcing airports to be closed on at least several occasions.

Although Britain’s Ministry of Defense did not name any specific foreign threat in its statement on Monday, airspace violations by mystery aircraft were reported in about half a dozen other European countries last year, including Lithuania, which called it part of the escalation of Russian “hybrid warfare” in retaliation for European support for Ukraine.

Moscow denies it is behind the airspace violations in Europe, dismissing the reports as “Russophobia”.

While they are dealing incursions around their own basesBritain has also taken an active role in helping other NATO countries respond to incidentsincluding sending specialized anti-drone equipment and personnel to Belgium in November after a series of sightings near airports and military bases there.

Belgium’s main international airport in Brussels and one of Europe’s largest cargo airports, near the city of Liege, were forced to close temporarily at the time due to drone incursions. Before that, authorities reported a number of unidentified drone flights near a military base in Belgium where US nuclear weapons are stored.

A few months earlier, the second largest airport in Denmark was forced to stop flights for the same reason, and there have been sightings of drones near NATO military bases in the country.

The British military noted on Monday that the current government has “quadrupled its spending on Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems” since taking office a year and a half ago, “allocating more than £200 million ($274 million) this year alone, reflecting the prioritization of autonomy and counter-drone technology as a key deliverable.”

The ministry said the investments include new drones deployed to guard military bases, advanced video surveillance and “integrated threat monitoring systems to strengthen base security.”

British officials announced last spring a successful field test of a new type of weapon designed specifically to counter a drone “swarm attack,” in which multiple drones are launched in coordination to overwhelm defenses.

IN statement last April, the British government said troops had “successfully tracked, targeted and defeated drone swarms” for the first time using “a new UK-developed directed energy weapon”.

The “RapidDestroyer”, a Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW), was developed by a consortium led by the British arm of French defense giant Thales. The test took place at a military training ground in Wales, “and was the largest anti-drone exercise the British military has ever conducted,” according to the government.