A ‘drone 9/11’ could unfold if work is not undertaken to bolster defences across the UK and Europe, the head of a global company specialising in counter-measures has warned.
DroneShield chief executive Oleg Vornik said that a ‘large amount’ of protective systems are needed at critical military and public facilities.
He spoke after numerous reports of drones at sensitive installations across the UK and Europe over the past year and warnings that Britain is on a collision course for war with Russia.
The weight that military and off-the-shelf models can carry has increased as the technology evolves and Mr Vornik believes that the commercial kit could be adapted for nefarious ends.
The incidents in the UK remain publicly unexplained, but he told Metro it was not the work of ‘local hooligans flying over the bases.’
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The UK Ministry of Defence has repeatedly insisted that it has robust measures in place to guard against drones impacting military facilities and is ‘scaling up’ its counter-measures.
Mr Vornik, who has worked with the British government through the Australia-based company, believes the work needs to be carried out ‘urgently’ at military and public sites.
‘I would say that it’s clear that we are not talking about local hooligans flying over the bases, and it’s connected with the flights over airports and military bases in Europe,’ he said.
‘There has been a lot of “drone wall” discussion, and many people see this as the Game of Thrones’ Great Wall to keep the White Walkers out.
‘It also requires a large amount of counter-drone systems at each military, public venue and other critical facility across the UK and Europe.
‘It needs to be done urgently before we see the next drone 9/11.’
A series of drone reports have been made at military and nuclear facilities dating back to at least 2022, when Metro reported on several unexplained incidents.
In one of the most high-profile sightings to date, they triggered an alarm over RAF bases used by the US Air Force over several consecutive nights in November 2024.
Another publicly disclosed event took place when they were seen flying over the Irish sea at around the time Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Dublin on December 1.
The repeated incursions in Europe have taken place over military and civilian facilities, with Munich airport having to temporarily halt operations twice in two days in early October because of sightings.
The threat posed to mass-spectator events was demonstrated in 2023 when Southampton’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa was suspended after a drone was sighted inside St Mary’s.
Play was briefly suspended with both teams leaving the pitch before re-emerging 10 minutes later.
How to stop drone attacks
In general, options for defeating drones include ‘hard kill’ – destroying the object with gunfire or missiles – or ‘soft kill’, usually meaning rendering it ineffective through electronic counter-measures.
The most ambitious system being considered by NATO allies is the mooted ‘drone wall’ designed to protect parts of Europe.
Along with the multiple sightings across Europe are intrusions by Russian uncrewed aerial systems into Polish airspace, including when 20 drones forced the closure of four airports in September. The joint defence system would likely combine radars, sensors, jamming and weapons systems from the Baltic States to the Black Sea.
In June 2024, three drones were seized by police after they were flown over two arenas during Taylor Swift concerts in Liverpool.
DroneShield’s deployed technology includes systems in Poland next to the border with Ukraine, which pick up data about uncrewed aerial systems launched by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
The company, which has an exclusive partnership with BT in the UK and has been involved in trials at commercial airports, provides advanced counter-measures which include integrated AI and the ability to pinpoint an operator’s location.
‘With a drone 9/11, I don’t even think it would be military grade drones like Shaheds, but commercially available DJI drones, as some are able to carry 5-10kg,’ Mr Vornik said.
‘Even 1-2kg of weight can be a lot of explosives in the right place and those could be deployed around crowded events with explosives or biological agents such as anthrax, or even with guns strapped to them, such as at a stadium or another public gathering. They could also potentially be used at an airport, taking an airliner down, or an energy facility.’
Mr Vornik believes that a ‘state actor’ is ‘poking around’ to find out where NATO’s soft areas are and to gauge the alliance’s response.
‘The state actor also wants to spread fear and confusion,’ he added.
The British government is spending over £2 billion on ‘uncrewed systems’ and has committed the same amount in new investment.
A spokesperson said: ‘We take all threats to our airspace security seriously and are scaling up the use of counter-drone technology to detect and deter unauthorised activity around critical infrastructure.
‘Following recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, the UK is spending £4 billion on boosting our drone capabilities, and over £1 billion on strengthening integrated air and missile defence to protect the UK.’
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