Is Trump losing patience with Putin? Will sanctions against Russian oil giants hurt Putin? The United Kingdom is sending military equipment and personnel to Belgium after a spate of disruptive drone sightings forced the temporary closures of two major airports. Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton told the BBC network on Sunday that the military had agreed to "deploy our people, our equipment to Belgium to help them" after a request from Belgian authorities. In the past week, both Belgium's main international airport at Brussels and one of Europe's biggest cargo airports at Liege were forced to close temporarily because of drone incursions.

UK military personnel and equipment are being sent to Belgium to help it bolster its defences after drone incursions on its airspace, suspected of being carried out by Russia. The new head of the UK military, Sir Richard Knighton, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance earlier this week and that kit and personnel were on the way. Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were spotted nearby . They were also spotted in other locations, including a military base. Sir Richard said it was not known if the incursions were by Russia, but added it was plausible they had been ordered by Moscow.

British soldiers will be granted new powers to shoot down drones threatening military bases. The plans, to be unveiled by Defence Secretary John Healey in a speech on Monday, are intended to allow troops to take faster, more decisive action. Four British airbases used by US forces reported mystery drone sightings last year, while drones have disrupted airspace across Europe a number of times in recent months. The new powers will only apply to military sites, but could be extended to civilian locations such as airports. Healey is set to announce the introduction of a kinetic option, first reported by the Daily Telegraph, that would enable British troops or Ministry of Defence (MoD) police to shoot drones posing a threat to a military site in the UK.

Britain's military will unveil a shift towards more lethal, hi-tech and drone-enabled warfare on Monday as ministers and chiefs attempt to stave off criticism of impending cuts in the size of the armed forces. The plan will be highlighted in a defence command paper setting out the military's ambitions for the next five years and confirming a cut in the size of the army to an anticipated 72,500 troops, and a string of other savings as day-to-day defence budgets are squeezed. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said on Friday it was time to end "the Top Trumps game of numbers" because previous reviews that had emphasised size had left the military with "lots of ships that are tied up and not available, or lots of regiments". Instead, ministers and service chiefs will highlight how forces such as the Royal Marines could use a mobile phone app to locate friends and enemies on a battlefield while using Ghost drones, 6ft-long single-blade helicopter-like devices that can highlight and even fire at targets. Gen Sir Nick Carter, the head of the armed forces, said that "rather than focus on size and shape, I would focus on lethality, the relevance, the resilience and the readiness of our army and our armed forces."

Bomb disposal experts won't have to put their lives at stake every time they have to disarm an explosive if they can do their job with the help of a proxy -- like a robot they can control from afar. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the British Army has received four cutting-edge robots that can do just that. Unlike other bomb disposal machines, these ones come with "advanced haptic feedback" that allows their operators to feel what their mechanical arm holds or touches through a remote-control hand grip. Seeing as bomb disposal requires a high level of dexterity, especially when dealing with potentially booby-trapped improvised explosive devices, haptic feedback could be just what experts need. The four machines delivered to the British Army are but a small fraction of what the UK military ordered from military contractor Harris. In addition to haptic feedback, the unmanned robot called T7 also comes equipped with HD cameras and all-terrain treads.

While we're used to seeing laser weapons in the Star Wars films, the futuristic technology could soon be a reality for the UK military. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a £30 million ($37 million) contract to create a laser weapon which can track targets at distances and operate in varied weather conditions. If the prototype is successful, the UK's first laser weapons could come into service by the mid-2020s. While the MoD has not specificed whether the laser could be used for any specific threats, director energy weapons could have a range of used. The MoD has partnered with Dragonfire, a UK industrial team to create the laser weapon.