British Army bids to 'be the best' in first drone racing Ashes against the Aussies in Colchester

Members of 3 Para take part on the 1st (UK) Division drone racing competition which was held at the Corporal Budd VC Gymnasium in Colchester
Members of 3 Para take part on the 1st (UK) Division drone racing competition which was held at the Corporal Budd VC Gymnasium in Colchester Credit: LBdr Mills, British Army

The British Army may have sparked a new international sporting rivalry with their counterparts from Down Under.

While cricket's Ashes is probably the most famous clash between a team from the British Isles and Australia - could drone racing be the latest hotly contested prize?

Drone racing sees pilots manoeuvre high speed remote control flying machines through a series of obstacles.

The sport as a whole has recently gone professional with a drone racing league - staging events like this one inside the stadium of NFL team the Miami Dolphins.

This was a slightly smaller scale event, staged not in a stadium but a gymnasium in Colchester.

The 1st (UK) Division drone racing competition pitted British Army teams against the Australian Defence Force team.

II Squadron RAF Regiment emerged as winners from the five teams in the military competition but, much like the cricket, Australia took the honours in the international fixture.

The drone racing course Credit: LBdr Mills, British Army

There was a serious reason behind the event as event organiser Major James Metcalfe, of 16 Air Assault Brigade, explained: "The drone racing competition is a way to add momentum to our soldiers’ FPV (First Person View) training and to raise awareness of the capability across the army.

"It allows our soldiers to develop and test the skills that they need to fly these drones in an operational setting.

"The soldiers competing have only had the equipment for a few months, but the speed and precision of their flying is already impressive, and the enthusiasm and competitiveness is as strong as you would expect."

The military drones lack the GPS and stabilisation software fitted to conventional drones so are harder to fly - but this makes them less vulnerable to jamming and more resilient on the battlefield.

Drones, like the ones flown in the competition, are being used by Ukrainian Armed Forces against Russian forces.

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