UK defence review grapples with drone threat as Ukraine strikes deep in Russia
Over the weekend, the skies over Russia bore witness to a dramatic escalation in drone warfare, as Ukrainian forces destroyed over 40 military aircraft in a daring attack deep within enemy territory.
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This operation, described by a Ukrainian security official as over a year and a half in the making serves as a potent illustration of the evolving threat landscape – a landscape Professor Peter Lee, a leading expert in applied ethics at Portsmouth University, has been cautioning the UK about for years.
The attack, personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky according to a Ukrainian official, involved drones smuggled in containers and launched from within Russia to strike airfields more than 2,500 miles from the front line.
While these devastating exchanges play out on the frontlines and deep within warring nations, and as Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepared for fresh peace talks in Istanbul, Professor Lee's warnings about the vulnerability of the UK's own critical infrastructure resonate with chilling prescience.
Read more: Drone war ‘could come to London next’, warns expert after record Russian aerial assault
Speaking to LBC last year, Professor Lee highlighted the persistent danger drones pose, not just to obvious targets like airports, but also to vital arteries such as the M25 motorway.
Professor Lee pointed to the 2018 Gatwick Airport incident as a critical learning moment, yet lamented that even years later, "there are no effective counter-drone technologies that can consistently force a drone down, especially in busy urban areas like London."
The Ukrainian operation, relying on drones that reached distant airfields, mirrors Professor Lee’s concern that UAVs are "becoming smaller, faster, and more autonomous, making it increasingly difficult to defend against them."
He and a colleague had even theorised years ago how pre-programmed drones could simultaneously shut down multiple UK airports – a scenario that has only grown more feasible with advancements in artificial intelligence.
"Drones can now operate without live control signals, following pre-programmed flight patterns," Lee explained. "The advantage lies with the aggressor, who could cause mass disruption cheaply and effectively."
The scenes of burning aircraft on Russian airbases, struck by drones that penetrated deep into hostile territory, serve as a stark, real-world example of the disruptive power Professor Lee envisages.
While airports are a prime concern, his warnings extend to the UK's road network. "It's disturbingly easy to fly a drone into the windscreen of a lorry travelling at 60 miles per hour," he cautioned, explaining how even a non-weaponised drone could cause catastrophic pile-ups.
A drone carrying something as simple as a bag of ink, he suggested, could blind a driver on the M25, leading to "disastrous" knock-on effects.
Later today the government will unveil the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain must adapt to “a new era” of instability, pledging major investment in nuclear-powered submarines and the UK’s nuclear warhead programme. But he stopped short of confirming when his ambition to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP will be realised.
“We have to recognise the world has changed,” Sir Keir said. “There are greater threats and more instability than for many, many years — and that has direct consequences for the UK.”
Speaking to LBC last year, Professor Lee highlighted the kind of technology Ukraine used to devastate distant Russian bases — pre-programmed, autonomous drones — is readily available and evolving rapidly.
“The aggressor has the advantage,” he said. “Until we develop effective defences, we remain vulnerable to cheap, disruptive technology that could cause mass chaos on UK soil.”