Drone Wars UK

Killing By Code: New Briefing and Dataset on UK Military AI Programmes

19/05/202619/05/2026Chris Cole

Drone Wars UK is today publishing the first of a series of short briefings on the new military companies who are pushing the use of AI in warfare in the UK. Alongside this, we are publishing a list of 26 key MoD programmes developing the use of AI for warfighting.

The Datafication of War: Palantir, AI and Algorithmic Violence

The first of our ‘Killing by Code’ briefings, The Datafication of War, examines Palantir and its involvement in UK military programmes.

Military AI firms such as Palantir are exerting significant influence over domestic defence programmes. These for-profit corporations are increasingly playing a key role in military ecosystems, mobilising R&D and facilitating the transfer of civilian technology to military applications. This interdependency with the state, indicates the growing militarisation of digital technologies, as well as their importance as military contractors.

With algorithms, Large Language Models, and autonomous systems permeating throughout the military domain, modern warfare is becoming increasingly reliant on data sets. Military advantage need not only rely on industrial output and hardware but on high-quality data and software. Whether that is to train military AI models that assist in the planning, or the use of data to execute combat missions with AI-assistance, warfare in the age of AI is experiencing a datafication.

Palantir is integral to this story. The company has been embedded within US national security structures since its founding in 2003 and is one of the most opaque yet influential corporations today. Put simply, Palantir is a private company which builds software for the military, intelligence agencies and transnational corporations to understand masses of data (data analytics).

This short briefing explores Palantir and their algorithmic and data systems. It examines the company’s origin and leadership; their footprint in different institutions within the UK and elsewhere; its key software and data analytic platforms and ends by looking at their involvement with the Israeli and Ukrainian governments during times of profound violence and war.

With AI software becoming more embedded in military and civilian decision-making chains, (military) AI companies stand to wield a significant amount of domestic and international power. It is only right that these companies are subjected to proper scrutiny.

Key UK Military AI Development Programmes

Drone Wars UK is also today publishing a list of key UK MoD military AI development programmes, together with brief details and current state of each programme.

While there are almost certainly other classified programmes ongoing in this area, this is the first time, to our knowledge, that a list of such programmes has been published.

Programmes to integrate AI into UK warfighting include Project Asgard (see here) which aims to develop AI-enabled strike capability for the British Army; Project Startle and SyCoiEA for the Royal Navy and programmes to develop an ‘Intelligent Virtual Assistant’ for the RAF’s future combat aircraft (Tempest) as well as Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP). In addition Project Spotter and Project Odyssey are being developed to support UK Defence Intelligence. Alongside these are cross-service projects including the Digital Targeting Web, Sapient, adopted for counter-drone systems and Project Castle, using AI for cyber warfare.

The MoD has refused to give any details about three other RAF programmes involving AI on our list – Deep Thought, Omnia and Organon, either to us or national media.

A joint Royal Navy/RAF series of trials to validate AI algorithms is named Wintermute and may be named after one of the AI’s in William Gibson’s famed Neuromancer novel.

Drone Wars UK will continue to scrutinise developments in this area as part of our work to challenge the push towards the development of autonomous weapon systems.

Stop the bombing: Protest at Fairford US base: Saturday 11 April (1pm – 2.30pm)

30/03/202608/04/2026Peter Burt

Demonstration and die-in at Fairford US bomber base

Organised by Fairford Action

Wed 8th April Update: We may have a fragile ceasefire but need to continue to say loud and clear ‘No More War! Hands off Iran! Send the Bombers Home!

The protest will go ahead as planned.

As the US and Israel’s murderous attacks on Iran enter their sixth week, join us at Fairford air base to call for an immediate end to the war.

Trump’s Iran war defies international law on every level, as an act of aggression breaking the principles of international law and launched without the approval of the US Congress. Although the number of civilian dead is not known, it is clear that it has already entered the thousands, with attacks hitting cities, homes, and schools. Trump is already planning further war crimes, threatening to attack power stations and civilian energy infrastructure in Iran.

Fairford Action protest at Fairford US base, 7 March 2026

The UK has allowed the US Air Force to use Fairford air base to launch attacks on Iran. Twice a day giant B-1 and B-52 heavy bombers fly from Gloucestershire to the Middle East to rain death on Iran. Nobody has been fooled by the UK government’s implausible claim that strikes from Fairford will be ‘defensive’ only – a claim the UK has no way of monitoring or enforcing. See detailed briefing here.

Join us to face down this unlawful aggression and demand an immediate end to the war with Iran.

Demo and die-in at Fairford base on Saturday 11 April: 1.00pm – 2.30 pm:

Come for as long or short a time as you can manage.

Bring banners, placards, food and friends!

Dress appropriately for the weather.

Check back here in case of last minute changes before heading to the demo.

PLEASE NOTE: It is not currently practicable to park near the main gate of Fairford air base. Please park in either Whelford Road or Fairford village and walk to the gate. Parking anywhere else will be at your own risk.

Demonstration will be by the main gate at corner of Horcott Road /Maine Street.
Postcode for Sat Nav: GL7 4DL

Briefing Paper: The use of Fairford air base for US military strikes against Iran

24/03/202619/05/2026Peter Burt

The use of Fairford air base in Gloucestershire by United States military forces to conduct strikes against targets in Iran has highlighted important issues surrounding the UK’s role in the current conflict in the Middle East.

Since 2024, Drone Wars UK has been investigating and challenging the use of Fairford – an ‘RAF’ base in name only – for USAF drone operations and has joined with CND and Oxfordshire Peace Campaign to oppose the use of the base for the illegal military action against Iran.

Today we are publishing a short briefing paper analysing the governments position in allowing the US to undertake ‘defensive strikes’ on Iran from UK-controlled bases.

It discusses command and control structures governing US strikes on Iran and the significant challenges the UK faces in ensuring that its involvement remains within the legal and policy boundaries of “defensive” operations. It concludes with a number of questions which policy makers and journalists should be asking the government about US bombing missions from UK bases.

If you are concerned about the US war on Iran and the UK’s role in supporting it, you may like to write to your local MP using some of the questions at the end of the briefing.

Naming the dead of Shajareh Tayyebeh School – Fairford 21 March 2026

On Saturday 21st March Fairford Action, supported by Drone Wars UK, CND and Oxfordshire Peace Campaign, held a short protest at the gates of Fairford to remember and name some of those killed in the US/Israeli war on Iran. By far the most shocking attack to date in this shocking war is the US cruise missile attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab on 28 February, which killed 175 children, the vast majority of whom were school children.

UK MoD awards 26 companies contracts to develop AI targeting system for UK armed forces

12/03/202619/05/2026Chris Cole

While public concern about the use of AI for war-fighting continues to grow, the UK is quietly pressing ahead with development of new AI-based military targeting systems.

In a little-noticed post in January, the MoD named a group of 26 companies who have been awarded a four year deal to develop what it calls “advanced digital decision-supporting capabilities” as part of the ASGARD programme.

AI integration into military targeting system is developing rapidly. Image: Shutterstock

The group includes specialised US military AI company Anduril and Germany-based Helsing, traditional military tech companies like QinetiQ and Leonardo and a host of smaller niche companies focused on the use of AI. A full list of companies is below.

ASGARD

First announced in October 2024, the MoD says ASGARD will “exploit AI and novel communications networks” to provide “rapid targeting and decision-support to personnel.” While militaries are keen to use AI to speed up decision making around lethal strikes, there are serious ethical and legal concerns about these developments.

Use of AI by Israel to develop targets for strikes by Israeli during its war on Gaza and more recently by the US for strikes on Iran indicates that these developments are rapidly outstripping political and legal debate about whether these systems should be deployed at all. This week an investigation by Airwars and the Independent newspaper revealed that the US had accepted that a civilian had been killed in a series of US strikes carried out in February 2024, which at the time, the US said had been carried out with the assistance of Project Maven, a US programme to integrate AI/machine learning into military operations.

While continuing to argue in public that the UK has ‘no intention of developing a fully autonomous weapon’ the MoD also states that when “incorporating AI within weapon systems… there must be context-appropriate human involvement in [systems] which identify, select and attack targets.” This is vague to the point of meaninglessness and is impossible to know how such a policy will operate in practise.

ASGARD-image-1200x800 — A mock HQ utilising ASGARD at MoD press briefing, July 2025. Crown Copyright.

Accelerating Digital Decisions

The 26 companies have been awarded contracts in relation to a tender notice published by the MoD in July 2025, seeking companies to take part in an ‘Open Framework’ (that is, an ongoing development work) to develop AI/Machine Learning software to support decision making in military targeting for the British Army. As the tender notice stated:

“This Open Framework will focus on the ‘Decide’ element of the target acquisition cycle (Sense-Decide-Effect); supporting ASGARD’s goal of reinventing, and transforming, how land forces deliver operational decision-support and decision-making software via the use of modern Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies.”

The Framework contains five separate ‘lots’ and the winning companies may be focusing on one or more of the different lots covering different aspects of the work. While some messaging around this Framework indicates the total amount to be awarded is between £180m and £216m, other indications are that this is the amount available for each lot. The MoD has said that ASGARD has been “backed by more than £1 billion in funding.”

The lots are as follows:

Lot 1: Data Integration

Work under this lot covers “higher-level functions like data validation, cataloguing, and lineage tracking. It will form the backbone for delivering trusted datasets supporting critical operations.” The tender notes that “basic cloud storage and compute will be covered elsewhere.”

Lot 2: Accelerators

Work under this area seeks software “to enhance data-driven decision-making… The focus is on reducing time-to-insight and improving operational efficiency… This lot targets intelligent capabilities such as automated workflows, pre-trained models, and integration with operational systems.”

Lot 3: Applications

The tender notice states that this lot “addresses platforms and services enabling mission-critical software to operate efficiently and securely across the enterprise… Focus areas include fast delivery, scalability, and continuous innovation.”

Lot 4: Edge Storage and Compute

‘Edge computing’ in this context means that processing and analysis is done ‘locally’ i.e within the surveillance or weapon systems and that video or other electronic information is not transmitted to a central control. The idea is that the drone, for example, processes the information it has captured itself rather than transmit it over networks to a central base for processing there. The tender says this lot “focuses on edge computing and local storage for real-time, low-latency data processing… Emphasis is on supporting distributed environments with limited or intermittent connectivity. This lot is essential for scalable, autonomous operations at the edge.”

Lot 5: Services

The tender states that this lot “includes expert services to support technology adoption and integration across all other lots. Offerings may include technical training, architecture consulting, synthetic data support, and proof-of-concept development.”

AI: speed eroding oversight and accountability

As we have said before, the grave dangers of introducing AI into warfare and in particular for the use of force are well known. While arguments have been made for and against these systems for more than a decade, increasing we are moving from a theoretical, future possibility to the real world: here, now, today.

Advocates of ASGARD and similar systems argue that the ‘need’ for speed in targeting decisions means that the use of AI brings enormous benefits. But while computer algorithms can process data much faster than humans, speeding up targeting decisions significantly erodes human oversight and accountability and will inevitably mean more civilian casualties.

While some argue almost irrationally in the powers and benefits of AI, in the real world AI-enabled systems remain error prone and unreliable. AI is far from fallible and relies on training data which time and time again have led to serious mistakes through bias. Most armed conflicts do not take place in remote battlefields but in complex and complicated urban environments. Relying on AI to choose military targets in such a scenario is fraught with danger.

The Companies Involved:

Emergency protest at Fairford US base: Saturday 7 March (1pm- 2.30pm)

02/03/202602/03/2026Chris Cole

Hands off Iran – No to War
Demonstration and peace vigil at Fairford US air base
Saturday 7 March, 1.00 – 2.30 pm

Organised Drone Wars UK, CND and Oxfordshire Peace Campaign

In the early morning of Saturday 28 February the US and Israel launched a series of murderous military attacks on Iran. Hundreds of civilian lives have already been killed, with attacks hitting cities, homes, and schools, and the consequences for the global economy appear severe.

Trump has not stated what the aims of the war are, other than to claim that “Iran tried to interfere in 2020, 2024 elections”. The war is in blatant defiance of international law on every level: an act of aggression against every principle of international law, and launched without the approval of the US Congress.

The UK, too, is deeply complicit in Trump’s war despite a government campaign aimed at fooling the media and public into believing it is merely standing on the side lines and defending its “national interests”.

US Air Force attack aircraft from Lakenheath air base in the UK have deployed to the Middle East, including F-35 jets which have moved to Saudi Arabia and F-15Es deployed in Jordan. Special forces aircraft from Mildenhall air base have also flown to the Middle East.

Despite claiming that bases like Fairford and Diego Garcia will not be used to bomb Iran, the UK has allowed US aircraft flying to the Middle East for its military build-up to use bases such as Lakenheath, Mildenhall, and Prestwick airport in Scotland as staging posts for overnight rest stops and refuelling.

Following the initial attacks on Iran, the UK government has decided that US bases on UK territory can be used to attack Iranian missile sites in Iran.

UK Typhoon and F35 aircraft are also flying to “defend” Israeli and US forces and bases – freeing up aircraft for use in attacks. It is highly likely that the UK has shared intelligence information with the US in support of the attacks – for example information gained as a result of RAF Reaper drone flights close to Iran aimed at provoking a response from Iranian forces.

Join us to face down this unlawful aggression and demand an immediate end to the war with Iran.

Demo at Fairford base on Saturday 7 March:

1.00 – 2.30 pm: come for as long or short a time as you can manage.

Bring banners, placards, food and friends!
Dress appropriately for the weather.
Check back here in case of last minute changes before heading to the demo.

This is a highly dangerous situation, which could rapidly escalate out of control.

Please join us to send out a strong message to the US military and UK government that we will do everything we can to resist their plans for this horrific war.

Demonstration will be by the main gate at corner of Horcott Road /Maine Street.
Postcode for Sat Nav: GL7 4DL

More details:

Drone Wars UK: info@dronewars.net / 07960 811437 or CND: enquiries@cnduk.org / 020 7700 2393

Emergency protest at Fairford US base: Sunday 18 Jan (1pm- 2.30pm)

13/01/202613/01/2026Chris Cole

Hands off Venezuela, Iran and Greenland – No to War

Demonstration and peace vigil at Fairford US air base

Sunday 18 January, 1.00 – 2.30 pm

Supported by CND, Drone Wars UK, and Oxfordshire Peace Campaign

Join us at the Fairford US air base in Gloucestershire to say no to the US coup in Venezuela and Trump’s threats to attack Greenland, Cuba, Iran, Colombia and Mexico.

Immediately after the New Year US president Donald Trump launched a large scale military attack on Venezuela, leaving dozens dead and resulting in the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Trump has said the US will now run Venezuela, which has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and take control of its oil resources for an indefinite period. The US president said that he intends to seize at least 30 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, which “will be sold at market price, and that money will be controlled by me.”

Video filmed on 6 January 2026 at ‘RAF’ Fairford when the US were making preparations to seize the Tanker #Bella1(#Marinera) in the North Atlantic

Last week US military forces captured the Venezuelan oil tanker Bella 1 (re-registered as Russian and renamed Marinera) in a huge naval and special forces operation in the north Atlantic ocean. Many of the aircraft and troops involved flew from bases in the UK. Immediately before the operation eleven huge US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft flew into Fairford carrying helicopters and equipment from special forces bases in the US. Although the helicopters did not appear to be used in the raid on the tanker, they may have been held in reserve for use if necessary, or have been part of a deception operation to distract attention from movements genuinely linked to the tanker seizure. Fairford also seems to have been involved in the operation in a command and control role.

US troops training at Fairford shortly before US boarded tanker Bella 1/Marinera in North Atlantic. Credit: @Global_Mil_Info

Trump has subsequently boasted that ‘I don’t need international law’ and has threatened to attack a number of other countries to meet his imperial ambitions.

Greenland: Trump has told reporters of his desire to occupy Greenland, claiming: “It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it, I can tell you.

Colombia: Trump has said Colombia could be next, saying it is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” regarding President Gustavo Petro. “He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump told reporters. When Trump was asked if he might target Colombia like he did Venezuela, he replied, “It sounds good to me.”

Cuba: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told NBC News that Cuba is the “next target” because the government there “is a huge problem.”

Iran: The US president threatened Iran with more U.S. military attacks as the country rocks from protests over worsening economic conditions. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” Trump said.

Mexico: Trump has also threatened to take military action against Mexico to prevent drug smuggling into the US. “The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News. “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water. And we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels.”

Despite professing to be a champion of democracy, and whining that he has not been nominated to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, Trump rolled out the red carpet for Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine, during Putin’s visit to a military base in Alaska in August 2025.

Read more on Sophie Bolt’s CND blog here.

Emergency demonstration at Fairford US base on Sunday 18 January

1.00 – 2.30 pm: come for as long or short a time as you can manage.

Main gate of Fairford base: Postcode for Sat Nav: GL7 4DL

Speakers:

Sophie Bolt – CND General Secretary

Guest from Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (invited)

Bring banners, placards, and friends!

Wear warm weatherproof clothing.

We suggest parking on the grass verge opposite the main gate at Fairford base – please don’t park in any of the residential closes or areas off Horcott road or Whelford Road.

More details: