British troops handed fresh powers to shoot down aircraft amid growing fears

It is hoped the new powers will let troops take more “decisive action” against drone incursions by cutting through the “red tape” that delays military responses.

Four airbases used by American forces on British soil were hit with a wave of mysterious drone sightings last year, prompting the deployment of 60 troops to defend the key military locations.

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The Defence Secretary’s announcement will only hand the powers to troops at military sites, however the Government is “not ruling out working to extend those powers to other import sites like airports”, a source told The Telegraph.

Mr Healey is expected to say: “We will always do what’s needed to keep the British people safe, and as we speak, we are developing new powers – to be put into law through our Armed Forces Bill – to shoot down unidentified drones over UK military sites.”

Current laws only allow British soldiers to use counter-drone equipment to forcibly change their direction, with the option of shooting them down only authorised in exceptional circumstances.

It is currently unknown when the new proposal will come into effect.

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The move comes amid growing concerns over the threat posed by Russian drones towards European civilian and military infrastructure.

Last month, a number of Russian drones were shot down by the Polish military after aircraft “repeatedly violated” the country’s airspace.

Other mysterious unmanned aircraft, believed to be of Kremlin origin, have been sighted in Norway, Denmark and Germany in recent weeks.

The Defence Secretary is expected to warn of a growing threat of drone incursions from countries hostile towards Britain.

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Mr Healey will say during a speech at the Lord Mayor of London’s Defence and Security Lecture: “Last month, we saw 19 drones cross the Polish border.

“Days later, Russian jets violated Estonia’s airspace, while at the same time, Russia mounted a concerted campaign to subvert Moldova’s election.”

He is also expected to warn that the threat exists “here at home”, adding that Britain will “continue to defend ourselves daily from threats reaching from the seabed to cyberspace”.

Last week, the Defence Secretary said that Britain was attempting to “ramp up our response to Russia’s aggression”.

Mr Healey announced a renewal of the UK’s contribution to Nato’s Eastern Sentry mission at meeting in Brussels.

He also confirmed that the RAF would be sending jets to carry out defence missions in Polish airspace until the end of 2025.

In June’s Strategic Defence Review, ministers announced up to £1billion in new funding to boost the UK’s air and missile defences and to launch a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to tackle cyber threats.

An additional £4billion is set to be invested into the armed forces’ self-operating technology by 2029.