UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), has launched a new themed competition to tackle the illegal use of drones around prisons.
The ‘Countering illegal use of UAS around prisons and sensitive sites’ competition is looking for practical, low‑collateral technologies that can safely stop hostile drones once they breach secure prison airspace. Up to GBP1.85 million (excluding VAT) is being made available, with funding expected to support several projects across two challenge areas.
The first challenge area is for systems that can reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 by project end, with a project length of 3-6 months. Companies will be expected to demonstrate a working prototype in an operational environment and a clear route towards deployment.
For the second challenge, systems must reach TRL 4 or 5 by project end, with a project length of up to 12 months.
Projects are expected to start in early July 2026.
“Traditional counter‑drone methods, such as kinetic interceptors or wide‑area jamming, are often unsuitable in custodial and urban environments,” UKDI said. “The competition focuses on last‑line‑of‑defence solutions — technologies that can safely neutralise a drone after other protective measures have failed, without causing unnecessary disruption or harm.” In addition, systems must be able to be deployed quickly by a small team, without specialist training. Integrated detect, track and identify capabilities are welcome, but the competition is focused on defeating drones and not on detection alone.
UKDI will not provide funding for paper‑based studies or literature reviews; unchanged resubmissions of previous UKDI or DASA bids; off‑the‑shelf products with no experimental development (unless applied in a genuinely novel way); systems with no realistic path to operational use; high‑collateral kinetic approaches, such as firearms or explosives; static physical measures like netting or fixed capture systems; concepts requiring major infrastructure changes; and systems that are not scalable or adaptable to real‑world operations.
The competition closes on 31 March, 2026 and is delivered by UKDI on behalf of the MOJ, working with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and wider UK security partners including the Home Office, Police, NDA, Ministry of Defence, Innovate UK and others.
A launch webinar will be held on 17 February 2026.
For more information
Full competition document at the UK government publications portal
Image: Shutterstock
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