A looming regulatory overhaul for drones in the UK risks crippling smaller manufacturers and weakening the country’s competitiveness in the fast-moving uncrewed systems market, according to Robert Garbett, Founder and CEO of Drone Major Group.
From January 2026, new rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will require all drones sold in the UK to carry a UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark in addition to CE certification. However, as Garbett points out, “UKCA stickers are currently not available,” and no transition mechanism has been provided. “If it passes Parliament without an exemption or extension, UAS manufacturers will not be able to sell UAS in the UK until such time as a UKCA sticker is available.”
This regulatory limbo, he warns, could see some drone models withdrawn from the UK market entirely or become significantly more expensive, as manufacturers are forced to create bespoke versions for UK compliance. “Diverging too far from international norms creates a requirement for manufacturers to make a separate version of a UAS just for the UK… making our operating companies less competitive against European companies.”
The draft legislation also mandates conspicuity devices for drones as small as 100g—much lower than the 250g threshold used across Europe. This, Garbett argues, could “kill the market dead” for nano systems, which cannot absorb the weight of such devices. “Every gram counts here,” he said, “so the addition of a conspicuity device would take almost all nano systems over the 250g limit.”
While he acknowledges the safety benefits of full conspicuity—especially for airspace integration with manned aircraft—he urges the CAA to reconsider its approach. “We would urge the regulator to… align [limits] with those used in Europe.”
Beyond regulatory missteps, Garbett points to structural problems in how the UK supports drone innovation. He describes the current R&D funding framework as “bloated, wasteful and unnecessarily complex,” calling for a complete overhaul to attract sustainable investment.
Security concerns are also rising. Garbett notes that although illegal drone activity near sensitive infrastructure is increasing, enforcement capabilities remain inadequate. “Police have no powers to intercept systems and the UK has not invested in the technology to detect and intercept unregistered UAS.” He advocates investment in long-range counter-UAS systems at critical national infrastructure and defence sites as a more strategic deterrent than scrambling jets.
Once seen as a pioneer in drone regulation, the UK now risks becoming a regulatory outlier. “The main reasons for our decline on the global drone stage are the lack of incentives for investment and the extremely high costs incurred in running a business in the UK,” Garbett said.
Without urgent course correction, the UK could see slower access to emerging drone applications – from infrastructure inspection to last-mile logistics – and a shrinking share of the sector’s commercial potential. “There will be very little impact in specific sectors,” Garbett added, “but across the industry, there could be significant issues… and a failure to prepare for implementation seems likely at this point.”
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Author: Anastasiya Simsek
