Britain is sending four Typhoon fighters to Qatar and reinforcing air defences after an Iranian-made drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Two further drones were shot down by British aircraft, and the UK is sending Wildcat helicopters with Martlet missiles to Cyprus while deploying the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon. Cypriot officials have criticised the UK for limited information-sharing, and opposition parties say deployments were too slow. Officials say the Akrotiri strike caused minimal damage and no casualties.
UK Sends Four Typhoon Fighters To Qatar, Boosts Air Defences After Akrotiri Drone Strike
Keir Starmer said Britain would "strengthen our defensive operations" in the Middle East (Jaimi Joy)(Jaimi Joy/POOL/AFP)
Britain is dispatching four Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar to reinforce its defensive posture across the Gulf, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday. The announcement followed a drone strike on the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus and Defence Secretary John Healey's visit to the island.
Details Of The Deployment
Starmer said the four Typhoons will join an existing UK squadron in Qatar "to strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region." The move comes after an Iranian-made unmanned drone struck a hangar at the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri on Monday. British officials reported minimal damage and no casualties.
Actions In Cyprus And The Wider Region
Two additional drones detected that same day were intercepted and shot down by British warplanes. Healey, who travelled to Akrotiri, said the UK was adapting its posture as the security situation evolved. He warned that Iranian strikes were becoming "increasingly indiscriminate."
John Healey: "As circumstances in any conflict change, you've got to be willing to adapt the action you take."
Healey also posted a photograph on X of a meeting with Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, saying the two discussed how "the UK is further reinforcing our air defences to support our shared security."
Additional Assets And Precautions
Starmer said two Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet missiles — capable of engaging drones — were due to arrive in Cyprus on Friday. He previously announced the deployment of helicopters with counter-drone capabilities as part of the UK’s defensive operations in the region. The government has also ordered HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air-defence destroyer, to deploy; officials said it is not due to set sail until next week.
As a precaution, families of service personnel based at Akrotiri have been moved away from the base.
Political Response And Context
Cypriot officials have criticised the UK for what they called limited information-sharing. Cyprus's High Commissioner to the UK, Kyriacos Kouros, told the BBC that residents were "disappointed" and "scared" and could have expected more communication from UK authorities.
The opposition Conservative Party has also criticised Starmer's government for moving too slowly to deploy resources. The prime minister defended the government's record, saying that throughout January and February the UK repositioned fighter jets, air-defence missiles and advanced radar systems to the region.
Starmer said the UK initially declined to join US-Israeli strikes but later approved a US request to use two British bases for a "specific and limited defensive purpose": a base in Gloucestershire and the UK-US facility on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. He emphasised that Akrotiri is not being used by US bombers.
This buildup follows an escalation in the wider Middle East conflict earlier in the week, and UK Typhoon and F-35B jets have been operating in the region amid rising tensions.
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