UK warned its ‘drone wall’ will fail without full defence network as Russian threat grows
Britain’s flagship plan to mass-produce interceptor drones under Project Octopus will fail to protect the country unless it’s backed by a wider, integrated defence network, a leading UK-based technology expert has warned.
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Andriy Dovbenko, Founder and Principal of the UK-Ukraine TechExchange, says Britain’s so-called “drone wall” can’t be built from interceptors alone, arguing that lessons from Ukraine’s frontline show a layered system is essential to counter modern drone warfare.
Speaking exclusively to LBC, Dovbenko said: “The Shaheds people recognise from headlines are only part of the picture. On the frontline, we face swarms of small, fast FPV drones that are cheap, adaptable and used in their hundreds. Interceptor drones might catch a few, but not enough to stop the devastation.”
He warned that while Project Octopus aims to strengthen Britain’s defences, interception alone is far from a silver bullet. “In ideal test conditions, success rates are around 30 to 40 per cent,” he said. “Against agile FPVs that twist and dive, the chances fall dramatically — especially at night.”
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Dovbenko highlighted electronic warfare (EW) systems as the real backbone of defence, pointing to Ukraine’s extensive use of EW technology to jam enemy drones and protect troops. Companies such as Kvertus, he said, can target up to 6,000 different frequencies to detect and suppress drones, saving tens of thousands of lives since Russia’s invasion.
“In Ukraine, EW is used alongside interceptor drones, mobile fire teams and physical barriers like nets or reinforced roofs,” he explained. “Together, these layers can stop around 80 per cent of incoming drones. Alone, none of them can.”
The warning comes amid growing fears that the drone threat is spreading beyond the battlefield. Airports, critical infrastructure and public spaces across Europe have already been targeted, exposing serious gaps in national resilience.
Dovbenko, who has worked to connect British defence partners with Ukrainian engineers through the TechExchange initiative, said cooperation and integration are now vital.
“A mass-produced fleet of interceptors may sound impressive, but without shared sensors, radar tuned for small targets, robust communications and common European standards, it’s an illusion of security. The technology has to work together, not in isolation.”
Britain’s Project Octopus was announced earlier this year to deliver homegrown interceptor drone capability in response to rising aerial threats from hostile states and non-state actors.
But experts warn that unless the UK learns from Ukraine’s battlefield experience, the so-called “drone wall” risks being little more than a headline.
“If Europe truly wants to protect its skies,” Dovbenko told LBC, “it must build an integrated system that combines every tool available. Anything less is illusion, not defence.”