UK military prevented from flying drones over soldiers’ heads

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British forces that are preparing for a future war with Russia are fighting a tremendous opponent closer home – safety and data protection rules that hinder the drone war training.

Soldiers were prevented from flying drones on their comrades or the use of signs of signs during training on Salisbury Plaine, two deputies who witnessed a recent exercise to the Financial Times.

The guidelines of the Ministry of Defense prevents more than 250 grams – about the weight of cucumber – from transportation over people during training, even if they are sitting in the tank.

Representatives also said that they were told that the UK’s general data protection list – and concerns about the influence of the population living near the training land – prevented soldiers from practicing electronic warfare, including “Hoovering Up” indicating drone data.

Representatives have warned that strict rules may let the British forces head to the Russian border without sufficient training in the modern war.

“British soldiers who are deployed as part of the deterrence force in places such as Estonia and Eastern Europe come out without a kind of training and ability that are completely swamps in the war now, whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine,” said Farid Thomas, a member of the Defense Selection Committee.

In one of the training exercises in March, the soldiers told visitor members of the Defense Selection Committee in the House of Commons that they needed to submit multiple requests to obtain permission for the military aircraft of the drone on a tank without people in it.

UK military regulations are based on drones on the Civil Aviation Authority bases aimed at preventing drones near airports. It requires the approval of the Military Aviation Authority for any drone flight to people, near buildings or out of view of the operator.

Both cheap drones have changed war in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on a large scale in 2022. They are used to discover artillery and kinetic attacks, drones now represent 60 to 80 percent of the battlefield victims on both sides, according to Ukrainian officials.

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have moved to disturbing radio monitoring frequencies and video ties between drones and pilots in an attempt to keep the airlines.

Thomas expressed concern that the regulations impeded the UK forces from mastering the same skills, adding that he heard from soldiers who buy equipment online to practice themselves.

He said: “They are taking steps to try to protect themselves by connecting to the Internet and buying a group to tamper with after that to see if they cannot spoil the frequencies themselves.”

One person inside the army said that more remote areas in the UK can be used to disrupt the signals, and that expanding its use to Salisbury Plain was ultimately a political decision.

The person added: “You cannot close all Satnavs in Amesbury suddenly just because you are learning about electronic war.”

A former soldier with training restrictions said that the most realistic training will provide lives, even if it leads to more local turmoil. “They say that I cannot stand under a drone because it may fall on my head,” the person added.

The Ministry of Defense said it was familiar with the restrictions imposed on training on electronic warfare, but said that there are no specific reports on the limitations of the gross domestic product that affect the activities.

“We are constantly experimenting with innovative technology, including in a drone war,” the Ministry of Defense said, adding that it is right “safety balance with the need for training.”

The Ministry of Defense added: “To protect operating security and non -military environments, people also expect to ensure that the capabilities of e -war have some restrictions.”

One of the experts in the military aircraft regulations, who asked not to disclose their identity, said that the draft changes of the proposed bases may eventually address some restrictions by allowing drones to fly at the heads of the soldiers, provided that they receive safety first.