Gatwick’s £1m battle drones

ANTI-DRONE technology used to protect Prince Harry’s wedding is now permanently stationed at Gatwick airport.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the British system is “new and unavailable elsewhere in the world”.

The £1million system was initially called in before Christmas after drones caused flights to be grounded for more than a day.

The AUDS (Anti-UAV Defence System) has been used by British troops in Iraq and by Special Forces in Syria, where it has downed more than 700 weaponised Islamic State drones since September 2016.

Special Forces also used it on May 19 to create a defensive shield around Windsor for the royal wedding.

AUDS detects an aerial intruder that breaches a virtual cordon and breaks the link between drone and operator, freezing the system above a drop zone where it will fall once its power runs out.