Mind the drone gap: war games begin inside secret Nato bunker in London tube station
British army is 80-90% short of drones as military exercise aims to build on European defence strategy
TL;DR
- A secret Nato command bunker has been operating in the disused terminus of the Jubilee line at Charing Cross underground station.
- British soldiers are engaged in a war game simulating the defense of Estonia from a Russian invasion in 2030.
- The exercise, Arrcade Strike, aims to show Moscow and Westminster that Nato is operationally ready to defend its exposed members.
- The British army is estimated to be 80-90% short of the drones needed for reconnaissance, air defense, and attack.
- Significant investment is required to produce sufficient volumes of drones, costing an estimated £50m a year for simple attack drones and £500m a year for sophisticated models.
- Journalists are shown the battle plan using virtual reality headsets, visualizing a counterattack using thousands of drones supported by fighter jets and artillery.
- The simulations incorporate artificial intelligence for faster decision-making and target acquisition, with a new deep strike unit capable of hitting targets 90 miles away.
- The Ministry of Defence is expected to receive several billion more to increase the defence budget and address an £18bn funding gap.