Now British drone troops destined to aid Ukraine's war effort face new enemy: Health and safety!
British soldiers destined to aid Ukraine 's war effort are facing a fearsome foe closer to home – health and safety rules that hamper their training for drone warfare.
Troops have been told to stop flying drones that weigh more than 250g (9oz) – the weight of a cucumber – over their comrades while training on Salisbury Plain, even if they are in heavily armoured tanks at the time.
They have also been prevented from using signal-jamming equipment to stop drone pilots controlling the deadly devices due to fears it might interfere with satnavs and other gadgets used by residents near the Wiltshire site.
It has prompted concerns that troops at the base will be under-prepared when dispatched to the Russian border to help Volodymyr Zelensky 's soldiers defend their homeland.
Labour MP Fred Thomas, who sits on the Commons' Defence Committee, said: 'British soldiers who are deploying as part of a deterrence force to places like Estonia and eastern Europe are going out without the kind of training and capability that is completely bog-standard in warfare now, whether it is in the Middle East or in Ukraine.'
'They are taking steps to try to protect themselves by going online and buying kit to then tinker around with, to see if they can jam frequencies themselves,' he told the Financial Times.
According to the newspaper, soldiers complained they had to make repeated requests to the Military Aviation Authority – part of the Ministry of Defence – for permission to fly a drone over a tank during a training exercise in March.
This was despite the tank not having any personnel inside at the time. Rules are in place to stop the devices from being flown near airports, buildings or above members of the public.
They were cited as the reason why soldiers had been prevented from practising electronic warfare, including using signals data to jam drones.
But drones have become a crucial facet of modern warfare. Both Russian and Ukrainian troops jam radio control frequencies and video links between drones and pilots to down the devices.
Last month Defence Secretary John Healey announced that Britain would send hundreds of thousands of drones to the Ukrainian frontline as part of a £450million aid package.
The devices being supplied include 'first-person view' or FPV drones, to attack targets, and aerial devices, which can drop explosives on Russian positions.
These types of drones are reported to be responsible for 60 to 70 per cent of damage caused to Russian equipment.
But there are concerns that a lack of 'real-life' training will restrict British soldiers' ability when they reach the front-line.
An MoD spokesman said: 'While operating within the UK, it's right that we balance safety with the need to train, innovate and operate new drone systems. To protect operational security and non-military environments, people would also expect us to ensure that electronic warfare capabilities have some restrictions.'
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Spectator
34 minutes ago
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Is Britain ready to defend itself against Iranian reprisals?
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This is not news, or should not be, but we have preferred to ignore it until recently. The likelihood of Iran seeking to retaliate against the United States and its allies merely focuses the mind. The government needs to establish what additional protection military bases at home and abroad reqrequire and how it can be provided – and then it must get on and do it. This cannot wait for quieter times. The front line is everywhere.
The Herald Scotland
44 minutes ago
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Our industrial decline gives a lie to Better together claims
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There is also income from BBC Commercial, which brings in a couple of billion pounds a year. Why does Scotland not share in that? GR Weir, Ochiltree. Politicising the bus pass The US Government's cackhanded launch of a 'Trump card' golden visa scheme, its promotional card bearing the visage and signature of that country's current elected head of state, conflates state functions with the personal identity of an incumbent officeholder. That sort of nonsense befits authoritarian tyrannies not democracies Sadly but somehow not surprisingly, the shambles echoes the sorry state of Scotland's bus passes. Rather than simply calling them bus passes, as happened for decades, the separatist regional government emblazons them with the crux decussata. They carry the irrelevant legend 'Saltire cards' (not even their formal name), predictably stylised without a space. English bus passes are at least more suitably named to reflect their purpose. 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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Hope for 100s of Scots jobs hit by bus firm plan to go to England
And it has emerged that the SNP-led Scottish Government and the Labour-led UK Government have agreed to establish a joint working group to discuss options to find a solution and avert job losses. They are looking at how far they 'can push' the UK 'state aid' rules set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 to create a support package to save the 400 jobs. The second meeting of that working group was held on Monday last week and it is due to meet again this week. An Alexander Dennis source said that they are engaging with both governments "in good faith on the possibility of any intervention" and stressed that a final decision on the move had not yet been made. Read more: The Scottish Government came under fire after the deputy first minister Kate Forbes pledged to leave "no stone unturned" in securing a future for ADL. Kate Forbes (Image: Colin Mearns) Ministers have said there was "cause of hope in terms of looking at a way through the challenges". A row erupted in the Scottish Parliament in the wake of revelations in the Herald over the depth of the public funding for Scottish jobs over the past ten years - and even while it was cutting back its workforce by a third five years ago. The Herald also revealed how the First Minister was warned of Alexander Dennis concerns last summer a year before announcing plans last week to relocate to England putting 400 jobs at risk. Alexander Dennis, which has factories in Falkirk and Larbert, said it was considering moving manufacturing to a site in Scarborough. The plans would see work at the Falkirk site discontinued, while the Larbert site would be closed after current contracts are completed. The company said it was facing strong competition from Chinese electric bus manufacturers whose share of the market had risen from 10% to 35%. Alexander Dennis, which manufactures single and double decker buses, said the new proposed structure would lower costs and increase efficiency. 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ADL, which incurred total losses over three years of £44.9m between 2021 and 2023, made its own bid to the programme but was unsuccessful. While ADL was a supplier to the successful consortium it was not a formal part of it. An Alexander Dennis spokesman said: 'Our focus remains on ensuring our people are supported during our consultation process. "This is a challenging time, and we are grateful for the active engagement from the Scottish and UK Governments and other political parties and stakeholders to discuss options and possible interventions. "It is clear there is a shared ambition to ensure the Scottish and UK manufacturing industry is protected and can thrive and we hope that we can encourage a cross-nation, collaborative approach as we continue to progress these important discussions.' The Scottish Government has said that policy interventions had been designed to "accelerate uptake of zero emission buses in the Scottish market". According to Scottish ministers, ADL secured orders for more than 360 vehicles through Scottish Government funding programmes. And they say the route to providing further support involves looking at ADL's cost base, considering what additional support can be provided to help with productivity and to lower costs and to look at how an order book can be developed for the company. They to say that there is "cause for hope" and that there were "solutions" that can be delivered through the collaborative process. While they say they have to abide by public procurement regulations and subsidy controls, but were working on a "support package" for the company.
