Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has directed the Ministry of Justice to apply Ukrainian battlefield counter‑drone methods to disrupt drone‑enabled smuggling in prisons. The announcement was made in Kyiv on 16 January 2026 during events marking the first year of the UK–Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, following meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))
UK Research and Innovation has allocated an additional £6.5 million to accelerate research and development of systems that allow prison staff to detect and bring down illegal drones. The funding sits within a cross‑government testing programme intended to move promising capabilities into operational evaluation. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))
The Ministry of Justice will work with UK Defence Innovation and UKRI to run challenge‑style competitions inviting UK and international businesses, including firms from Ukraine, to propose technologies that counter illicit drones and the contraband trade they enable. UK Defence Innovation was formally established in July 2025 as the Ministry of Defence’s focal point for speeding innovative kit into service. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))
Official figures show 1,712 drone incidents in prisons across England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025, a 43 percent rise on the previous year. The Ministry of Justice has also reported a 770 percent increase between 2019 and 2023, with organised crime groups exploiting drones to move drugs, weapons and mobile phones. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2024-to-march-2025/hmpps-annual-digest-2024-to-2025--2?utm_source=openai))
The initiative complements existing restrictions introduced on 25 January 2024 that create automatic 400‑metre ‘no‑fly zones’ around all prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales. Flying within this zone is an offence, with those smuggling contraband facing sentences of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/anti-drone-no-fly-zones-to-combat-prison-smuggling?utm_source=openai))
Measures inside the perimeter are supported by powers under the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2012, which allow authorised interference with mobile communications to prevent and investigate illicit phone use in custody. The counter‑drone push aims to strengthen external airspace control alongside these established internal powers. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/20?utm_source=openai))
The Ministry of Justice says a separate £40 million security package is being deployed this year, including £10 million for anti‑drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows. This spend is intended to harden the estate while new detection and defeat technologies are trialled. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))
Ministers frame the move as practical knowledge‑transfer from Ukraine’s wartime innovation. The UK government says it committed £350 million in 2025 to support Ukraine’s drone and counter‑drone capability, with output scaling from a 2024 target of 10,000 drones to 100,000 by December 2025 under the 100 Year Partnership. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))
Operational enforcement continues in parallel. In July 2025, counter‑drone activity at HMP Manchester and HMP Wandsworth led to nine arrests, with further operations planned, according to the Ministry of Justice. The new technology drive is intended to widen these enforcement tools. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/counter-drone-efforts-rise-as-prison-sightings-revealed?utm_source=openai))
For governors and suppliers, the direction of travel is towards rapid trials of detection and defeat systems, tighter coordination with police and prosecutors under the 400‑metre regime, and closer alignment with existing signal‑blocking powers. The government says competition calls will invite ‘breakthrough’ proposals capable of moving quickly into deployment. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/battlefield-tactics-to-inspire-uk-fight-against-prison-drones))