Despite disappointment this week that the public ‘drone show’ show didn’t take place over the Tenby night sky, the flight did take place during the early hours of the morning, enabling organisers to capture footage as part of a Ministry of Defence campaign to deliver a serious public safety message.

The drones took to the sky during the early hours of Wednesday (August 16) this week in Tenby, as part of a MOD campaign to remind locals and holidaymakers of the simple actions they should take to stay safe when using military training land.

The display, made up of 100 drones, used a series of stunning aerial images to show how quickly military training areas can change from calm surroundings to combat zones.

Moving lights transformed kites into military helicopters and mountain bikers into tanks during the display, which was part of the MOD’s Respect the Range safety campaign.

Respect the Range aims to raise awareness and understanding of the personal safety risks that the public face when accessing military land, including live firing, unexploded ordnance and fast-moving military vehicles.

Recorded instances of the public dangerously accessing the UK Defence Training Estate totalled around 3,000 over the 12-month period from September 2021-September 2022.

Of these, almost 10% were classed as near-miss incidents. Instances have included people walking across live firing ranges and areas set up for pyrotechnics and explosives, dogs running into areas of training activity, and people picking up military debris, all of which had the potential to cause a fatality or a life-changing injury.

This phase of the Respect the Range campaign is targeting visitors to a number of holiday hotspots across the UK, with Tenby chosen for the drone display due to its proximity to Castlemartin Training Area.

Other locations where Respect the Range is being rolled out this summer include: Lulworth, Longmoor, Barry Buddon, Catterick, Holbeach & Donna Nook, Aldershot, and Salisbury Plain.

To ensure they stay safe and protected while using military land, the MOD is urging holidaymakers, day-trippers and locals to:

• Always check training and live firing times before they travel;

• Stick to public paths, bridleways and byways; and

• Observe safety information including red flags, fences, signs and by-laws while on military land.

Brigadier Jonathan Bartholomew, DIO’s Head of Overseas and Training Region and the Defence Training Estate, said: “In the last two years alone the threats and challenges our country faces have evolved.

“Our Armed Forces are central to protecting the UK’s interests, especially at a time of heightened tensions across the globe.

“Through the Respect the Range safety campaign, we are asking the public to help us to keep them safe when accessing training land, as well as ensuring our Armed Forces can carry out their vital training uninterrupted.”

For more information on how to access MOD land safely, visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/safe-access

The drones show had been due to take place on Wednesday, August 16 at around 9 pm after being rescheduled from August 1 when unsuitable conditions forced the organisers to call it off at the last minute.

However, the organisers went ahead with the show under the cover of darkness, during the early hours, without notifying anyone or indeed the Local Authority it would seem.

On the cancellation of the public showing, a spokesperson for the MOD stated: “Despite best efforts, unfortunately we were unable to host the general public at the drone display in Tenby as planned.

“The purpose of the drone flight was to capture content for the MOD’s Respect the Range campaign, which raises awareness of the risks associated with accessing military land.

“To maximise the chance of a successful flight we took the decision to capture content in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“We would like to thank the Tenby community for its support to the Respect The Range campaign.”