Rogue drones are targeting Britain's military bases almost daily, leaving Britain vulnerable to growing threats from Russia and Iran, The Independent can reveal.
Some 340 security incidents involving drones were reported at or near Ministry of Defence sites in the year to August 2026, data obtained under freedom of information laws shows. In 2025 there were a total of 250 incidents recorded – double the 126 recorded the year before.
Experts warn the alarming increase reflects the government’s woeful lack of security and unreadiness to combat hostile threats at a time of intense escalation from Vladimir Putin, as well as aggression from Iran.
The MoD would not give details of who it suspected was behind the threats, but experts say hostile actors working on behalf of Moscow or Tehran were the obvious culprits. The stark figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, come as Poland warned that Putin is planning a drone attack on a Nato country.
Former Tory defence minister and former Army captain Tobias Ellwood said the large sharp uptick in detected drone incidents in the UK showed that the British military is viewed “as a target” and said the government is “asleep” to such threats.
He added: “Here in the UK we are doing nothing about protecting our critical national infrastructure, as well as military bases, and it's such an easy way to disrupt.
“At the moment these are just rogue drones, and they're passive, but it's not a huge step to then add a kinetic dimension to them to make them introduce lethality.
“All this points to the fact that we are not taking the rise in threat levels that our European cousins are addressing seriously at all.”
Mr Ellwood said Russia and Iran were “100 per cent” responsible for many of those incidents. “They are absolutely active in Britain in plotting, mapping, and then recruiting useful idiots to prosecute this targeting.
“It could be criminal gangs as well, but they would then be supported by Russia. Russia is by far the obvious culprit here... It's not China's style. They tend to do things in a different way.”
It comes amid growing concerns over the UK’s ability to defend itself and intense pressure on Labour to boost defence spending and prioritise national security.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk warned on Friday that Moscow was planning hybrid strikes with drones or missiles targeting Nato countries supporting Ukraine.
“There is a real risk that drones or other types of projectiles will enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank and even cause destruction,” he added.
UK chief of the defence staff, Sir Richard Knighton, cautioned earlier this year that the UK is facing the highest level of threat from Russia since the Cold War. And security minister Angela Eagle also warned of the dangers posed by Iran after the UK “identified activity linked to the IRGC involving threats to life and intimidation on UK soil”.
The Ministry of Defence said the rise in incidents reflected improvements in reporting, better counter-drone detection technology, and enhanced awareness among military personnel.
But Mr Ellwood, bit back and insisted the government must ramp up security.
He said: “To say [incidents] have gone up because people are getting better at reporting, that’s shocking. These numbers are huge, and it means that this has been going on a long time, and we've completely ignored it.”
He added that Britain was rightly stepping up support for Ukraine, but the consequences meant Russia will be seeking to retaliate and the UK can expect to see “aggravated intrusion into our airspace increase over the next months and years.
“Sadly, we won't really react and find the money to move on the scale we need to.”
Charlie Edwards, a senior fellow for strategy and national security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: “I think it is increasingly important for governments, European governments overall, to be open about drones.
“We are still in the dark as to who is operating those drones. We believe it was highly likely that Russia was running a campaign over Europe.
“At a time of heightened awareness of Russian activity, the fact that the government is effectively operating in a pre-war scenario and is telling people to get prepared, you want your communications to be simple, clean, and not confusing.
“I think the House of Commons Defence Committee pretty well summed it up in terms of whether we are ready for war, and their answer was no.”
Minister for the Armed Forces, Louise Sandher-Jones told, The Independent the government “is taking the threat posed by hostile drones to defence sites extremely seriously” by investing in counter-drone systems and giving defence personnel new powers to defeat drones threatening defence sites.
“In February, we established new restricted airspace areas over 44 critical Defence sites in the UK. This autumn, we will introduce restricted airspace areas over a further 160 sites,” she said.
“By the end of the year, the Armed Forces Bill will become law, giving our personnel the power to take out drones – whether in the air, on the ground, or in the water – posing a threat to any defence site without the need for assistance from the police.
“The government has quadrupled its spending on anti-drone kit since taking office, with the Defence Investment Plan investing £750 million into counter-drone systems and protection for our armed forces, both at home and deployed overseas.”
Retired Brigadier Ben Barry, who was formerly a Nato commander and director of the British Army Staff, said: “Yes, the armed forces are spending a lot of money on counter-drone systems, but you have to remember that will be divided between protecting the armed forces when they're deployed on overseas operations and protecting bases and units in the UK.
“What are the likely explanations for the drones? Well, it could be hobbyists, it could be criminals looking for stuff to steal, it could be hostile state intelligence services, it could also be terrorists doing reconnaissance.
“Malign activity and attacks from Russia have increased over the last few years, and as Russia continues to struggle in Ukraine, it is likely to increase further.
“There's quite clearly been hostile activity by Iran in the UK,” he added.
“Unless the defence budget is rapidly increased, the government's going to find it very difficult to meet the pledges it's made.”
The Ministry of Defence and Labour have been approached for comment.
