Britain’s latest military drones are so badly built they’d be a punchline in Moscow.
That’s the damning verdict from Richard Woodruff, a British drone expert fighting on the frontlines of Ukraine’s drone war, who says the RAF’s newest tech would “crash and burn” in real combat, and warns that Russia is “laughing” at the West’s failings.
Woodruff, a former engineer from East Sussex, now leads Frontline Kit, a volunteer-run operation that has helped produce thousands of cheap, deadly drones for Ukraine. His no-frills £200 units have been used to take out tanks, air defence systems, and even Russian bombers, but what he’s seen from Britain and France has left him “terrified.”
“The Russians will be laughing at how unprepared we are,” he told LBC from his drone workshop in Lviv, Ukraine.
The critique lands just as the UK Government pledges a £2 billion investment in drone warfare under its Strategic Defence Review (SDR), framed as a bold leap into the future of combat. But according to Woodruff, that future’s already being tested (and fixed with zip ties) on the battlefields of Ukraine. And what he’s seen from UK defence contractors? “Terribly built” toys with no place in war.
One drone model in particular, a 7-inch First Person View (FPV) drone promoted by the RAF on social media, was singled out for harsh criticism.
In a hands-on visual inspection, Woodruff’s team identified:
- A “weak” frame with poor structural integrity
- Low-quality motors prone to failure
- A bent antenna and undersized battery, slashing signal range and flight time
“You’d expect some level of quality control if you’re going to promote this to the world,” he said.
He didn’t stop there. France’s newly revealed mobile 3D printing labs, designed to churn out drones directly on the battlefield, also got the thumbs-down.
“It’s been tried hundreds of times here, and scrapped,” Woodruff said.
“Even with the strongest material, the frame flexes when you strap on explosives. That messes with the flight computer, and the drone crashes. It’s terrifying that I know more about basic drone design than the British and French militaries.”
His warning carries weight: just days ago, Ukraine’s special forces reportedly used £200 drones built by Woodruff’s team to strike deep inside Russia, damaging nearly a third of Moscow’s long-range bomber fleet.
“We’ve hit £25 million air defence systems with drones that cost less than a washing machine,” he said. “We know what works.”
His remarks echo a growing chorus of criticism about how Britain handles defence procurement. Despite promises from the SDR to prioritise “frontline experience,” critics argue Whitehall is still obsessed with over-engineered, untested tech.
Dr Jack Watling, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, called for a shift in mindset:
“The military needs to stop chasing innovation and start thinking like a factory. It’s about quantity and reliability now, not prototypes.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson responded to LBC by defending Britain’s drone strategy, stating that the MoD remains committed to improving the “accuracy and lethality” of the armed forces and that all British Army drones undergo “rigorous testing.”
Meanwhile, the French Army has yet to respond.
