A UK drone squadron with no drones?

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Jul 2022 11:30

According to a campaign group, the Royal Air Force 216 Squadron has not conducted any trials and has only four full-time personnel.

A UK drone squadron with no drones?

The UK drone test squadron that supposedly embodies the Royal Air Force's (RAF) "futuristic and ambitious" vision has no drones and hasn't conducted any trials since its reactivation more than two years ago. An article by The Telegraph cites a Ministry of Defence response to a freedom of information request made by the campaign group Drone Wars UK.

Furthermore, the 216 Squadron has only four full-time personnel assigned to it, though the unit also uses reservists, according to the response.

Chris Cole, the founder of Drone Wars UK, a campaign group that advocates for greater public transparency regarding the use of this type of weaponry, filed the request. His investigation was conducted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, which grants access to information held by the UK's public authorities.

“216 Squadron has not conducted any UAV tests since it was reactivated on 1 April 2020... There were no UAVs listed on the inventory of 216 Squadron at the time of your request. This means that the answer to the third part of your request was ‘zero’,” the reply read.

Nonetheless, at the Global Air Chiefs' Conference in 2021, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston praised 216 Squadron, saying it had demonstrated the "disruptive and innovative utility of swarming drones."

“We have been focused on confusing and overwhelming adversary air defenses but we are already contemplating new disruptive missions that I will leave to your imagination,” said the air marshal at the time.

Cole, meanwhile, said that “defense companies and politicians repeatedly overpromise results and underestimate costs while giving less and less information about military programs.”