UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has launched a new £1.85 million themed competition aimed at tackling the illegal use of drones around prisons and other sensitive locations across the UK.
Announced on February 3, the initiative is being delivered on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, with support from a wide range of security stakeholders including the Home Office, police forces, the Ministry of Defence, Innovate UK and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The competition is seeking practical technologies that can safely neutralize hostile drones once they have breached secure airspace. UKDI said the focus is on “last-line-of-defense” solutions that minimize risk to people, infrastructure and communications in custodial and urban environments.
According to UKDI, criminal groups are increasingly using commercially available drones to deliver contraband into prisons, conduct surveillance and disrupt operations. These platforms are often inexpensive, easy to operate and difficult to stop using conventional counter-drone approaches.
Traditional methods such as kinetic interceptors or wide-area jamming are often unsuitable near prisons, where collateral effects could endanger staff, inmates and surrounding communities. As a result, the competition prioritises low-collateral options that can be deployed quickly by small teams and used within the existing legal powers of prison officers.
Up to £1.85 million in funding is available, with UKDI expecting to support multiple projects across two challenge areas. The first targets higher-readiness solutions that must reach Technology Readiness Level 7 within three to six months and demonstrate a working prototype in an operational environment. The second focuses on medium-readiness concepts, aiming for TRL 4 or 5 over projects lasting up to 12 months.
While integrated detect, track and identify capabilities are welcomed, UKDI emphasized that the competition is focused on defeating drones rather than detection alone. Proposals based solely on studies, off-the-shelf products without innovation or high-collateral approaches such as firearms or explosives will not be funded.
The competition closes at midday on 31 March 2026. A launch webinar is scheduled for 17 February, with successful projects expected to begin in early July.
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