Anti-drone military equipment removed from Gatwick airport

Army were sent in before Christmas to end three days of travel disruption caused by drone sightings

The army's Israeli-developed Drone Dome system is thought to have been deployed on Gatwick's roof (Getty)

Military hardware deployed to stop drones disrupting flights at Gatwick Airport before Christmas has now been withdrawn, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Multiple drone sightings at the airfield caused mass disruption to hundreds of thousands of passengers over three days, prompting Sussex Police to call in the army to end the travel chaos.

Around 1,000 flights were grounded as Gatwick was forced to close for 33 hours between 19 and 31 December. The airport reopened hours after receiving assistance from the armed forces.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said on Wednesday: "The military capability has now been withdrawn from Gatwick. The armed forces stand ever-ready to assist should a request for support be received."

The army's Israeli-developed Drone Dome system is thought to have been deployed on Gatwick's roof.

The equipment can detect and jam communications between a drone and its operator.

The system, said to have a range of several miles, uses four radars to give 360-degree detection in order to identify and track targets.

Sussex Police chief constable Giles York said last week that his force received 115 reports of sightings in the area, including 93 which have been confirmed as coming from "credible people" including a pilot and airport staff.

He said some reports of drones in the area may have involved the police's own craft, but added that he is "absolutely certain" a drone was flying near the airport's runways during the three-day period of disruption.

However, police have so far drawn a blank in their attempt to find the culprit. A couple arrested in the wake of the disruption were later released without charge.