Drone war ‘could come to London next’, warns expert after record Russian aerial assault
28 May 2025, 07:47 | Updated: 28 May 2025, 09:15
The UK and Europe must urgently prepare for drone warfare on home soil, a leading defence expert has warned, after Russia launched the largest drone assault since the start of the war in Ukraine.
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The aerial defence expert has called on NATO countries to take the threat seriously following a weekend blitz in which 900 drones were fired at Ukrainian targets in a sustained and deadly bombardment.
Karl Rosander, CEO and co-founder of Nordic Air Defence, told LBC the attacks, which killed at least 12 people, including children, were “a wake-up call” to Western governments.
“This is no longer a distant war — what’s being tested in Ukraine today will be replicated across the world tomorrow,” he said. “We are now living in the era of the drone war.”
According to the United Nations, drones have caused more civilian casualties in Ukraine than any other weapon. Ukrainian officials say nearly 80% of battlefield deaths now involve drones, and that air defences are struggling to keep up with the pace and scale of attacks.
Rosander warned that the low cost and widespread availability of drones, combined with their tactical versatility, make them an increasingly attractive option for rogue states and terrorist actors.
“Other European cities could be next,” he said. “The scenes we’re seeing in Kyiv — swarms of drones overwhelming defences, hitting infrastructure and civilians — could easily happen in London, Berlin or Paris. The threat is real, and it’s here.”
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His warning comes just months after drones were spotted over three sensitive UK military bases used by the US Air Force — RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, and Feltwell. The sightings prompted a major investigation involving 60 personnel, including counter-drone specialists.
Experts say the incident was likely an act of provocation by foreign actors, using commercial or modified drones to map or test UK airspace defences.
The Defence Secretary, John Healey, has already identified drones as a priority in the UK’s upcoming strategic defence review, with the Chancellor pledging to commit 10% of the military’s equipment budget to emerging technologies, including drone warfare and countermeasures.
Speaking last week, Healey said: “We have to be capable of upgrading and innovating at a wartime pace if we want to give our armed forces the edge over adversaries.”
Rosander echoed that sentiment, urging the UK and its allies to act with urgency.
“Every night Ukraine’s skies are full of drones — cheap, fast, deadly. If NATO doesn’t prioritise counter-drone capability now, we’ll find ourselves on the back foot in our own cities. The drone war is no longer theoretical — it’s active, it’s lethal, and it’s coming.”
