Critical infrastructure drone security is about to move from competition to contract. UK Defence Innovation’s themed competition on “Countering Illegal Use of UAS Around Prisons and Sensitive Sites,” launched in February 2026 with up to £1.85 million available, closed for proposals on 31 March 2026 – and the volume of submissions received was high enough that contract start dates have been pushed into August 2026, according to trade reporting at the time. For commercial sites watching the counter-drone market from the sidelines, actual contracts being signed is the signal that “last-line-of-defence” counter-UAS technology is close to becoming commercially available, not just a research exercise.
We first flagged this competition when covering the 1,712 drone incidents recorded at UK prisons in the year to March 2025. The competition is delivered on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS, with support from the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Innovate UK and police forces – a spread of sponsors that reflects how directly relevant prison-focused counter-drone work is to protecting other categories of sensitive site.
Why “last-line-of-defence” is the significant phrase
The competition’s focus on last-line-of-defence solutions – technology that can safely neutralise a drone after detection, deterrence and electronic mitigation have already failed – matters because it addresses the gap most commercial counter-drone plans currently have. Detection technology is relatively mature and widely available. Reliable, legally clear neutralisation options for the UK market have lagged behind, partly because of the regulatory and safety complexity of intercepting an aircraft over a populated site. Contracts moving forward under this competition are a direct sign that credible neutralisation options are being tested for exactly this environment.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s involvement signals the category of site this technology is being built for first – critical national infrastructure, high-security custodial estates, and sites where a successful drone incursion carries consequences well beyond a single incident. Data centres, energy facilities and major logistics hubs sit in a similar risk category, even without a custodial or nuclear designation.
What commercial sites should do while contracts are signed
Sites in the critical infrastructure, data centre, logistics and major-event categories do not need to wait for the neutralisation technology to reach the open market before starting the groundwork. Three things are worth doing now: establishing a documented baseline of drone activity around the site, so that any future procurement decision is backed by evidence rather than anecdote; briefing construction site security and corporate security teams on what to log when a drone overflight is spotted; and building a relationship with local police so that reporting patterns feed into wider intelligence, the way Project Servator already does for ground-based hostile reconnaissance, an approach the Counter Terrorism Policing network continues to expand nationally.
Sites running large outdoor gatherings should treat this the same way – airspace risk belongs in the event security plan as a documented section, not an afterthought, particularly with Martyn’s Law obligations already applying to venues above the 800-attendee threshold.
Need a security review?
Our team can help build a drone-incident logging process and a documented threat baseline ahead of counter-UAS technology becoming commercially available. Call us on 020 3700 0967, email info@secureonsitesecurity.co.uk, or visit our contact page. Related services:
- Construction site security for developments and critical infrastructure sites.
- Corporate security services for data centres and high-value commercial estates.
- Event security services for outdoor events with defined airspace risk.
As critical infrastructure drone security contracts move from competition to delivery this month, sites that already have a documented baseline will be first in line to benefit once the resulting technology reaches the commercial market.
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