Home Office to deploy 'stealth squad' of speedboats and jet skis to catch Channel migrants

A high-speed drone boat with state-of-the-art surveillance technology is being trialled by Border Force as part of a hi-tech strategy to combat Channel migrants.

The 41-foot unmanned boat with radar and camera and capable of speeds of more than 40 knots was tested on Thursday in the straits of Dover as a new technique to help detect and intercept migrant boats and catch smugglers.

The boat (below), known as MADFOX  and controlled from a master vessel, comes alongside plans to deploy jet skis to help Border Force agents patrol the channel after migrant crossings this year topped 8,500 -  seven times the rate of 2019.

The boat is also under trial with the Royal Navy.

Border Force vessels have already conducted trials with Royal Navy experts of nets as a technique for stopping the boats at sea by clogging their propellers.

Earlier this year, it also emerged that the Home Office was considering “marine fencing” after an appeal to the maritime industry for “water-based” technologies to block the boats.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has been pressing the French to stop the migrants at sea and return them to France as the most effective deterrent to stop the crossings.

That requires not only the agreement of the French but also the technology to detect the boats earlier and intercept them safely.

Confirming the trials, Dan O’Mahoney, clandestine channel threat commander, said: “We are working day and night to secure our borders and to stop small boats crossing the channel.

“This new technology could help in our mission to make these crossing unviable by gathering evidence for prosecutions, preventing uncontrolled landings and supporting operations to save lives at sea.”

The high-speech unmanned MADFOX boat - 41ft by 13ft -  has been developed by the Government’s defence,science and technology laboratories and specialist drone firm L3Harris.

Sensors on board the vessel are able to pick out and identify specific vessel types, such as yachts, fishing vessels, ferries and cruise ships as well as migrants’ boats.

“MADFOX could play a valuable role in protecting lives by detecting and tracking small boats, as well as capturing vital evidential material to support criminal prosecutions,” said a Home Office source.

Drone experts said MADFOX boats could be deployed remotely for hours to detect migrants’ ribs and then alert a master ship to intercept them.

“It’s a great idea,” said Rick Gill, a former British intelligence officer who heads Drone Defence. “You get the information much, much earlier without the manpower bill. You could have a number of these with a master boat. They can operate in all weathers with persistence.”

MADFOX took part in exercises earlier this year with the Navy’s HMS Albion and the Royal Marines 47 Commando in sub-zero temperatures in Norway. It was integrated into the ship’s computer systems and remotely entered and retracted from the HMS Albion’s dock.

It will supplement the aerial drones already deployed in the Channel against migrants. The Tekever AR5 fixed wing drone can cruise at 60 mph at heights of hundreds of metres with cameras and radar, played a key role in helped track and arrest a Channel migrant trafficking gang this summer.

It has been used  by the coastguard alongside the Ministry of Defence’s Watchkeeper drone, which can reach 16,000 feet with a range of 100 miles and was used by the Army in Afghanistan.

Border Force is also looking to buy or hire two jet skis to patrol the Channel which have to be "powerful enough to tow if required," according to an official tender document.

The Yamaha jet skis under Home Office consideration typically cost between £15,000 and £20,000. Officials want the vessels to be significantly adapted for use in the Channel, including adding GPS systems, cruise control and an 1800cc engine.