Innovation competition aims to stop drone smuggling at UK prisons
The UK government is taking a new step in the fight against illegal drone activity around prisons and other sensitive sites. Through a dedicated innovation competition, the United Kingdom is making £1.85 million available, equivalent to approximately €2.1 million, for technologies capable of safely neutralising drones once they have breached restricted airspace. The emphasis is firmly on practical, deployable solutions suitable for complex environments such as prisons, where the safety of staff, inmates and surrounding communities takes precedence and conventional counter-drone measures are often unsuitable.
Focus on a ‘last line of defense’
The competition has been launched by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. It is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the Home Office, UK police forces, the Ministry of Defence, Innovate UK and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The joint approach reflects the scale and persistence of drone-related threats to critical infrastructure.
UKDI explicitly refers to the need for so-called ‘last-line-of-defense’ solutions. These systems are intended to be deployed only after a drone has already entered secure airspace and must operate with minimal collateral impact. In custodial environments, measures such as wide-area jamming or kinetic interceptors are typically unsuitable due to the risks they pose to people, buildings and communications systems.
Rising criminal use of commercial drones
According to UKDI, criminal networks are increasingly exploiting commercially available drones. These platforms are used to deliver contraband, including drugs and mobile phones, conduct reconnaissance and disrupt prison operations. Because such drones are relatively inexpensive, easy to operate and difficult to counter using traditional methods, the problem has become structural rather than incidental.
The fact that many prisons are located in or near urban areas further constrains the use of heavy-handed countermeasures. As a result, the UK government is seeking solutions with low collateral impact that can be deployed rapidly by small teams and operated within the existing legal powers of prison staff.
Two tracks, different maturity levels
Up to £1.85 million in funding will be distributed across multiple projects in two categories. The first track targets high-readiness solutions that must achieve Technology Readiness Level 7 within three to six months and demonstrate a working prototype in an operational environment.
The second track is aimed at medium-readiness concepts, with projects lasting up to 12 months and targeting TRL 4 or 5. In both cases, the objective is clear: proposals must focus on the effective neutralisation of drones, not merely their detection or tracking.
Neutralisation, not detection alone
While integrated detect, track and identify capabilities are welcome, UKDI has stressed that the core of the competition lies in defeating drones. Proposals consisting solely of literature studies, non-innovative off-the-shelf products or high-risk approaches such as firearms or explosives will not be eligible for funding.
The competition closes at midday on 31 March 2026. A launch webinar is scheduled for 17 February, with selected projects expected to begin in early July.
