The UK government is turning to battlefield-tested counter-drone tactics from Ukraine as part of a new effort to combat the growing use of drones to smuggle contraband into prisons, officials announced last week.
In a move led by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministry of Justice has been tasked with learning from Ukraine’s wartime experience in drone and counter-drone operations and adapting those innovations to strengthen security across the UK prison estate. The initiative forms part of the UK–Ukraine 100-Year Partnership, aimed at deepening long-term cooperation on security and resilience.
The announcement was made on January 16 following meetings in Kyiv between the Deputy Prime Minister, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Deputy Defense Minister Yurii Myronenko, during an international conference marking the first anniversary of the partnership.
As part of the effort, UK Research and Innovation will invest an additional £6.5 million to accelerate research and development of next-generation anti-drone technologies for use in prisons. The funding will support a cross-government program to test systems capable of detecting and disabling illegal drones before they can deliver drugs, weapons or mobile phones behind bars.
The Ministry of Justice is working alongside UK Defence Innovation and UK Research and Innovation to launch competitive challenges aimed at industry, inviting companies from the UK, Ukraine and beyond to develop advanced solutions to counter prison drone activity. These “high-stakes” competitions are intended to fast-track innovative technologies from concept to deployment.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said Ukraine’s experience offers critical lessons for addressing a rapidly escalating domestic threat. He noted that prison drones now pose a direct risk to national security and are increasingly used by organized crime groups to fuel violence and criminal networks within correctional facilities.
Official figures underline the scale of the problem. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were 1,712 recorded drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales. Incidents involving drones surged by 770 percent between 2019 and 2023, reflecting the growing sophistication and frequency of drone-enabled smuggling operations.
The new research funding complements a broader £40 million boost to prison security this year, which includes £10 million dedicated specifically to anti-drone measures such as external netting, reinforced windows and other physical defenses.
UK officials say the program demonstrates how international defense cooperation can deliver tangible domestic benefits, applying lessons learned in modern conflict zones to improve safety and security at home.
RELATED CONTENT: Drone smuggling surge exposes security challenges at UK prisons
Post Image Credit: Magic K via Pexels
Follow C-UAS Hub on LinkedIn for regular counter-UAS content updates.
