Regulations hinder drone training of British soldiers

Like many armies, the British army is also training in the use of drones. In doing so, the soldiers are apparently confronted with a dreaded opponent: bureaucracy. Safety regulations and data protection rules are hindering soldiers practising with the unmanned aerial vehicles, two MPs told the Financial Times (FT) after visiting a maneuver on Salisbury Plain in southern England. In their opinion, this could lead to the operational capability of British soldiers being impaired.

"British soldiers deployed as part of a deterrent force to, say, Estonia or Eastern Europe, are going without the kind of training and skills that are completely normal in warfare today, whether in the Middle East or Ukraine," said Labour MP Fred Thomas, who also sits on the House of Commons defense committee.

Civilian regulations

The military's regulations for the use of drones are based on those of the Civil Aviation Authority. For example, military drones heavier than 250 grams may only fly over crowds of people with special permission from the military aviation authority. This also applies to flights near buildings or out of sight of the pilot.

Soldiers told MPs that they had had to submit several applications to the military aviation authority in order to fly a drone over a tank, even though there were no people inside.

According to the MPs, the soldiers were also unable to practice using jamming signals against drones. This was due to the British Data Protection Act and concerns about the impact on people living near the training area.

Ministry: "Certain restrictions"

The British Ministry of Defense said that new technology is constantly being experimented with. However, the need for training and safety must be kept in balance. "To protect operational security and the non-military environment, the public expects us to ensure that there are certain restrictions on electronic warfare capabilities."

One expert told the FT that there are more remote areas in the UK where electronic warfare training can be carried out. You can't suddenly switch off all navigation devices in Amesbury just to train electronic warfare."

In the war in Ukraine, commercially available low-cost drones are now being used on both sides. Accordingly, dealing with them and countermeasures is part of the arsenal of modern armies. Thomas now fears that the regulations will prevent British soldiers from acquiring these skills.

(wpl)