Latest news with #drones
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE £2 billion UK Apache helicopter gunships to get protection from drones as they fly too slowly over the battlefield
Defence chiefs are to invest billions on drones to protect 'slowcoach' Apache helicopters previously flown by Prince Harry, the Mail has learned. With their 30mm chain guns and Hellfire missiles, Apaches saved countless lives in Afghanistan and are considered vital to future frontline operations. However, in Ukraine, Russian attack helicopters operating along the line of combat engagement have proved vulnerable to cheap to produce kamikaze drones. As a result, a major review of Britain's defence priorities will focus on purchasing drones to protect 'legacy' helicopters, other aircraft and armoured vehicles. The long-awaited Strategic Defence Review, to be published on Monday, could commit more than £4 billion in additional funding for crewless systems. The drones, or Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACPs), will be managed by the Royal Air Force and will be introduced into service over the next decade. Systems tipped by defence insiders to be on the Ministry of Defence's shopping list include 'Loyal Wingman' drones which incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI). The integration of crewed and uncrewed aircraft into a collaborative fighting force is known as Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T). The regular flying speed of the Army Air Corps' Apaches is around 180mph. Britain has a fleet of 50 (AH-6E) helicopter gunships made by Boeing and worth more than £2 billion. Last night, an Army source said: 'When you were on a mission in Afghanistan, the Apaches would take off first because they were slow and we would follow in a Chinook transport helicopter and catch them up. 'The vulnerability of helicopter gunships on the frontline has been a major takeaway from Ukraine and given the UK's long-term commitment to the Apache, this issue has to be addressed. 'To remain a viable option on the frontline, the Apaches will require crewless escorts to eliminate threats in what is a very crowded battlespace. 'Everything has changed in the last few years. Low-level flying was always danger but it has gone to another level now. 'The Apache fleet is worth around £2billion. That's a big write off if it has become obsolete.' The RAF published its Autonomous Collaborative Platform strategy last year. The service is committed to conducting MUM-T operations routinely by 2030. Last night, Matthew Savill, from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said: 'A figure of £4bn additional funding on uncrewed systems would be a start. The SDR will have to prioritised between crewed and uncrewed. 'It is an interesting idea to put up drones to protect helicopters but that is a lot of clutter close to the ground. Armoured vehicles and tanks, such as Challenger 3, will also require active protection by drones to protect against other drones.' According to insiders, the SDR will commit 'less than £10 billion of additional funding' for new equipment over the duration of this parliament. As the UK's annual defence budget is currently £56.9 billion, £10 billion or less over four years was described last night as 'less than transformational'. Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: 'If this proves a damp squib SDR then blames lies with Labour's failure to properly fund defence. 'It should resist further welfare spending so we can go to 3 per cent of GDP on defence and give our military the tools for the job.' In a bid to reengage Britain's military with the civilian population, schoolchildren are to be taught the value of the armed forces, also as part of the Strategic Defence Review. The Ministry of Defence is looking to engage with the Department for Education on a project to challenge an apparent 'disconnect' between the armed forces and civilians. For the UK to sustain any long-term conflict against a peer adversary, it will be required to regenerate its forces from its civilian population, either voluntarily or through drafting. The MOD hopes to make pupils more aware of employment opportunities within the Army, Navy and RAF beyond the stereotypical roles of each service. These classes would be delivered as part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PHSE) curriculum. Last night, the MOD said: 'We will not be drawn into commenting on claims regarding the review ahead of publication. 'This Government has announced the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the end of the Cold War - 2.5% by 2027 and 3% in the next Parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow, including an extra £5 billion this financial year. 'The SDR will rightly set the vision for how that uplift will be spent, including new capabilities to put us at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, investment in our people and making defence an engine for growth across the UK - making Britain more secure at home and strong abroad.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Inside the secret spy den building China's attack drones
At first glance it could be a school classroom, with bright fluorescent lights, posters on the wall and long tables down the middle. But look closer, and the students are actually Chinese paramilitary police officers, the notices are instructions on how to build attack drones, and there are CCTV cameras watching their every move. This is the workshop for one of China's feared armed police units, in the eastern Shandong province. In a rare glimpse into China's arms manufacturing, a dozen or so officers can be seen seated at the long tables tinkering with their creations. Another 40 or so unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are mounted on the wall in front of them as they work. Speaking to Chinese state media, which produced the footage, one uniformed officer explains that each of the drones are assembled by a member of the People's Armed Police (PAP) force in Shandong. For a skilled worker it should take 'no more than two hours' to complete one device. Known as 'China's other army,' the PAP is one of the country's police forces responsible for national security. 'Unlike the civilian police force, which handles routine law enforcement, the PAP falls under the Central Military Commission and is often deployed for border security, riot control and counterterrorism, and has been part of the violent campaign against the Uighurs in Xinjiang province and in Tibet. While the exact number of officers is unknown, reports estimate it could be anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million, spread out over 32 regional commands, each with at least one mobile unit. The direction of travel is clear. In 2010 the PAP budget was £6.8 billion. By last year, it had more than tripled, to £15.9 billion. The unit in Shandong is the latest example of what it has been spending that money on. The drones are not just for surveillance. In a combat drill last month, two members of a PAP unit in western Yunnan province worked together to take out a target behind a closed window. The first drone smashed the glass and the second flew through the gap to strike the target. Other camera drones can be armed with grenades, which are dropped on perceived threats. And then there are disruptor drones, fitted with systems that can locate, track and 'soft-kill' enemy UAVs, according to state television. Training is intense. Before being allowed to fly actual drones, the operators have to work on simulators for about two months, according to state television. Then they are let lose on complicated aerial assault courses, with tight turns and high speed manoeuvres, before being allowed to use them in the field. Experts have said that drones would be central to any conflict between China and Taiwan, should Beijing decide to attack the island, which it claims as its own despite staunch opposition from the government in Taipei. Both China and Taiwan's interest in drone warfare has expanded since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 given the central role that UAVs have played in the conflict. Earlier this month, China announced that its new drone mothership, known as the Jiu Tan, which is capable of releasing swarms of 100 kamikaze UAVs at once, would launch on its maiden voyage in June. In Shandong, the officer in the video explains that the team is producing first-person view (FPV) drones of different sizes, from 3-inch to 9-inch models, at what he calls the 'UAV innovation studio'. In the footage, the personnel are seen assembling drone frames as well as testing camera and antenna placements. The UAVs are designed for both reconnaissance and precision strikes. The studio also has a 3D printer, which is used to design and manufacture various components. The officer explains that it is currently making landing pads, which it can print in three minutes. He then shows the camera a drone with a 3D-printed ammunition mounting platform, which he says can carry different types of weapons, 'significantly enhancing the drone's strike capabilities.' There is variation in the vehicles too. Footage shows the unit using drones with long fibre optic cables, as seen in Ukraine and Russia. These drones do not rely on radio signals and therefore cannot be jammed by enemy signal blockers. While drones can be used for humanitarian purposes – such as during disaster relief operations – in the hands of the PAP they can also be weapons of oppression. The force's focus in recent years has been on Xinjiang province, where it has been responsible for the persecution of Uyghur Muslims, as well as Tibet. Xinjiang hosts the largest concentration of PAP mobile units in the country with an estimated 200,000 troops. They have been using surveillance drones for a number of years. Both Uyghurs and Tibetans have been targeted by the central government in Beijing for decades, with abuses ranging from mass detentions to forced sterilisations. The Uyghur Human Rights Project accused the PAP of being 'among the prime actors in carrying out the genocide' against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. With their new tools, the PAP shows no sign of changing course. Beyond its domestic role, experts have also said that the PAP would likely play a key role in any future attack against Taiwan. In January, Chinese state media reported that some PAP officers in Fujian province had taken part in official combat training, which suggested that in the event of war, the forces could join the fight as a military unit. Lyle Goldstein, an Asia expert at Defense Priorities, a Washington-based foreign policy think tank, said that since China views Taiwan as one of its provinces, Beijing would see it as 'completely legal' to use armed police. The PAP could also play a central role if martial law were declared following an invasion of Taiwan. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said: 'As the PAP's mission sets have become more focused, their more centralised command structure, reorganisation and enhanced use of modern technologies have turned the PAP into a more potent force ready to carry out the CCP's vision of 'correct policy' and maintaining the Party's control.'
Times
7 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Times
Castle Combe villagers swarmed by tourists' drone cameras
When you live in 'the prettiest village in England' you expect to share it with tourists clogging the streets. What you do not expect is one of their drones to film you taking a bath. The residents of Castle Combe, a village in the Cotswolds, have had to place 'no drone zone' signs in their windows, the local church and public car park after being repeatedly buzzed by camera-wielding aircraft flying over their gardens, streets and in one instance by their bathroom window. Police were called last month when one drone pilot refused to land his aircraft after filming children playing in a back garden and flying laps up and down the high street at first-floor window level. After verbally abusing residents who asked him to respect their privacy, police officers were called and forced him to delete his video. Hilary Baker, 69, a retired police officer who has lived in the village for 35 years, said: 'It's almost like some of the visitors have lost their moral compass, they have lost their boundaries.' She added that since the Covid-19 pandemic there had been an increase of drones flown over the Wiltshire village by tourists for their social media channels. 'When you go into your back garden and put your washing out and there is a drone hovering 20 yards above your head, it really quite rankles,' she said. 'Another neighbour had been working in his garden and jumped in the bath and there was a drone at his bathroom window, watching him in the bath. You just think, really? 'I should think on a monthly basis I will get verbal abuse [for asking them to stop].' Even before the drones appeared, tourists have been overstepping boundaries in the village for years. There are handwritten signs asking visitors not to pick flowers planted outside homes and not to walk down the side alleys of houses. 'Gateways can be locked but people still climb over them and picnic on the private lawns by the river,' Baker said. 'Most people are lovely but they have got to get 'the picture'.' Castle Combe has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. People have been drawn to the historic centre of the village where a new house has not been built since about 1600. It has also been the setting for films such as Doctor Dolittle, released in 1967, and Steven Spielberg's War Horse in 2011. A major pull for the thousands of tourists who visit each week are the videos of the village they see on social media sites such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. ALAMY Lydia Chia, 27, and her sister Deborah, 24, from Singapore, were visiting this week, posing for a plethora of photos against the small honey-coloured stone houses as well as on the bridge over the tranquil brook. 'I saw it on my friend's Instagram and a little bit on TikTok,' Lydia, a customer success manager, said. 'It's really pretty. I pick where to visit based on pictures and aesthetics, and whether or not it's instagrammable.' Her sister, who is studying marketing at the University of Stirling, said the village was 'relatively less crowded than London city centre' and 'more chilled'. Fred Winup, a retired bank director who has been the chairman of the parish council for 18 years, conducted a visitor survey last year which found that 51 per cent of visitors came after seeing the village online. Winup once had a drone follow him along the high street 'just five feet above my head', he said, adding: 'It was a Californian [piloting it], he was a nice guy who didn't know the rules and said he was sorry.' The parish council has persuaded Wiltshire council to erect a sign at the public car park, built 730 metres up steep and narrow roads from the centre, warning drone pilots: 'If you use these devices where people can expect privacy, such as inside their home or garden, you are likely to be contravening CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] guidelines'. ADRIAN SHERRATT FOR THE TIMES The rules and guidelines around flying different types of drones can be complicated but usually involve having a line of sight of the drone, not getting close to crowds or buildings, and respecting people's privacy. 'People do lose control of drones and they could take an eye out,' Winup said. Some drone operators have crashed their devices onto the church roof and one ended up stuck in a tree in a resident's back garden. Mike, a renewable energy consultant who moved to the village 20 years ago from Clapham, London, said his daughters would sunbathe in bikinis in the back garden and that it was a 'gross invasion of privacy' when a drone flew over his garden several times at close range. 'I have said to people, 'Go and perv somewhere else',' he said. 'The back gardens are our little havens of privacy.' There are only 39 full-time residents living in lower Castle Combe, where the tourists congregate, whereas 20 years ago, residents said, the houses were almost all occupied by people who had lived there for decades. ADRIAN SHERRATT FOR THE TIMES Some have been bought up by Americans and Australians, whom few locals have seen in the decades since they turned the properties into holiday rentals. Others are second homes for Britons. Anna, a local business owner, said: 'If I didn't have a business here I would be seriously pissed off. It's lost its community and I think one day we will get fed up with it.'
Forbes
8 hours ago
- General
- Forbes
Fierce Battle For Chasiv Yar Shows That Russia Is Not Ready For Peace
Over the past months, there has been ongoing discussions about potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, the war between the two nations continues to rage, with Russia mounting a number of attacks along its 600-mile front. Much of the fiercest fighting has recently taken place in the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donbas region. Although the battle for the city has been ongoing for more than a year and Russian forces now control a large portion of it, Russia has recently intensified its efforts to capture the entire city. The exact state of Chasiv Yar is uncertain, as Russia and Ukraine are reporting conflicting information. Russia first launched their assault to take the city in April 2024, and The Moscow Times reported on January 29, 2025, that they had fully captured the city. However, the Institute for the Study of War, citing geo-located footage, has stated that Ukraine is still fighting to maintain control of the southern portion of the city. This fighting is inherently intense, due to the nature of urban conflict in a small, practically abandoned city. The buildings create a three-dimensional battlefield, offering both cover and concealment, while alleys become choke points. The fighting has become even more complex with the introduction of drones, which the Ukrainians are using extensively to push back the Russian assaults. Over the past weeks, the Russians have increased their assaults on Chasiv Yar. As part of this effort, Russia has augmented their forces with soldiers from the Federal Security Service Presidential Regiment. This unit, which is approximately the size of a motorized rifle brigade, is usually assigned ceremonial duties around the Kremlin. Although not considered elite, its presence suggests that Russia is attempting to plug gaps and address manpower shortages by repurposing even a ceremonial unit to maintain momentum in capturing the city. Ukrainian officials have also reported an increase in armored vehicle assaults. The number of daily attacks has risen from three to five to as many as seven to nine. This escalation is notable given Russia's ongoing shortages of armored vehicles and the demand for them in other regions. Russia's decision to deploy armored vehicles in Chasiv Yar is particularly striking, as their effectiveness in urban environments is limited. In cities, armored units are often funneled into narrow streets and become vulnerable to attacks from above. As a result, Russia can expect to lose a significant number of these in-demand vehicles. Still, their use has become a necessity, as Ukrainian drones are quickly destroying lighter vehicles. Russia is also deploying new technologies on the battlefield hoping to get a tactical edge. Ukrainian social media posts have included footage showing their own drones stalking and destroying Russian drones. These drones appear to be newer models that likely include features that allow them overcome Ukrainian jamming. Further, Ukrainian sources have also posted footage of various Russian unmanned ground combat vehicles. These units, which appear to be providing resupply to Russian forces in the city, are also being targeted and destroyed by Ukrainian drones. Although capturing Chasiv Yar is critical to the Russian war effort, it carries little long-term strategic value. The city is not a symbolic or economically vital city like Mariupol, Bakhmut, or Kherson, whose capture appears to be part of the overarching objectives of the Russian invasion. Rather, Chasiv Yar is a fortified position that blocks Russian forces from advancing deeper into the Donetsk region toward Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. The sacrificing of personnel, equipment, and advanced technology to take Chasiv Yar indicates that the Russian military does not expect peace to come soon. Rather, they appear to be laying the groundwork for their summer offensive. More likely, the Russian military anticipates continued fighting through at least the summer. Russia's long-term objectives remain uncertain, but their intensified operations in Chasiv Yar are clear. Meanwhile, Ukraine's goals are straightforward. Ukrainian forces aim to prevent Russia from taking full control of the city and to bog Russian troops down in a prolonged, bloody urban battle. This approach forces Russia to expend valuable soldiers and equipment, potentially wearing down Russian resolve and strengthening Ukraine's position ahead of future negotiations. As such, the outcome of the Battle of Chasiv Yar may not only shape the next phase of the war but also set the terms for any future peace.
Al Arabiya
14 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Ukrainian drones damage hospital, homes in Russia's Kursk, official says
Ukrainian drones launched a night-time attack on Russia's western Kursk region, damaging a hospital and apartment buildings and injuring at least one person, the regional governor said early on Friday. Across the border in Ukraine's Sumy region, the regional governor reported fresh fighting in villages near the border toward which Russia has been seizing territory. He said various areas in his region were constantly changing hands. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he wants to create a buffer zone in Sumy, which was used to help launch Ukraine's incursion into Kursk last year. In the Kursk region, where Russia's military says Ukrainian forces who staged the incursion last August have been ejected, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said Ukrainian drones swarmed the main town, also called Kursk. 'Drone fragments damaged the No. 1 city hospital in Kursk. Windows were smashed. Fortunately, no patients were injured,' Khinshtein wrote on the Telegram messaging app. 'Falling drone fragments have also damaged high-rise apartment buildings.' Ukraine's military says its forces remain active in small areas of Kursk region. Authorities in Sumy region, under constant Russian attack for months, acknowledged this week that Russian forces were in control of at least four villages near the border. 'Active battles continue in certain border areas, notably around the settlements of Khotyn and Yunakivka,' Governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote on Facebook. 'The situation on the line of contact is constantly changing. In some places, we hold the initiative; in others the enemy is proving to be active.' Russia's Defence Ministry on Thursday said its forces had captured three more villages as it slowly advances through parts of eastern Ukraine. These were Stroivka in northeastern Kharkiv region, where Moscow has long been applying pressure, and Shevchenko Pershe and Hnativka near the town of Pokrovsk, the focal point of Russia's westward drive for months. Ukrainian military reports have made no acknowledgement of any of the three villages coming under Russian control. A statement on Thursday evening said Russian forces had launched 53 attacks over 24 hours near Pokrovsk.
