6 days ago
British Army tests German-made kamikaze drones
The British Army has been trialling German-made kamikaze drones designed to detect and knock out Russian crafts before they can target troops.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been working with Alpine Eagle, a German start-up founded in 2023 that has developed an airborne sentry drone capable of intercepting hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Known as Sentinel, the defence system flies a 'mothership' drone above a friendly base or patrol. If a hostile UAV is detected, it can release small, expendable single-use drones to destroy the attacker by flying into it. The Sentinel swarm is intended to be operated remotely by a single pilot.
Cheap drones that cost just a few hundreds pounds have become ubiquitous on the battlefields of Ukraine. Soldiers on both sides have been using remote-controlled drones originally designed as toys to drop grenades and bombs on the enemy or for surveillance.
Drones are now responsible for an estimated 70pc of all casualties in Ukraine. They are able to patrol vast areas of the front line and target vehicles or patrols that stray into range.
Western forces are increasingly turning to new technology to try to counter the threat. This has included investing in jamming technology or automated turrets that can shoot down drones faster than a human.
In Ukraine, soldiers have turned to cruder methods for destroying drones such as shotguns.
British know-how
In March, the MoD launched Project Vanaheim, a series of field tests run with the US army and Ukrainian forces to try out new counter-UAV technology. Alpine Eagle took part.
Earlier this year, the start-up raised more than £9m from investors including US fund General Catalyst and British venture investor IQ Capital.
While the business is based in Germany, it is exploring manufacturing in the UK.
The start-up has hired Michael Golden, a former Royal Navy engineer, as its head of UK to spearhead expansion.
Mr Golden said: 'For us, the UK is both an incredibly important target to develop and demonstrate this technology, but also from an industrial network perspective, we see it as a fantastic place for us to build and expand.'
Britain has been exploring a major expansion of its drone and counter-drone capabilities as part of Labour's Strategic Defence Review.
Ministers and military officials envisage a future where operations will be carried out combining conventional ground forces with swarms of drones that rove ahead of soldiers and tanks.
In June, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, announced an initial £100m to research drone swarms.
The military is already in the process of deploying 3,000 strike drones and 1,000 surveillance drones for use by soldiers.
Jan-Hendrik Boelens, Alpine Eagle's chief executive, said Britain had a clear strategy for drone warfare and the start-up was planning to establish a strong footprint in the UK.
Unlike other anti-drone systems that might be better suited to defending large bases or static targets, Alpine Eagle's drones can support soldiers on patrol or vulnerable convoys.
Alpine Eagle is also pitching its technology towards defending shipping against piracy and for border security.
Mr Boelens, a former Airbus helicopter engineer, said its technology is being trialled on the ground in Ukraine. He added: 'There is no alternative. Russia and other adversaries are not sitting still.'
There has been a surge in interest in defence technology among investors as Europe looks to rearm to counter a more dangerous Russia.
