Two drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain have been shot down by RAF Typhoon jets during defensive air sorties in the Gulf, the defence secretary said.
John Healey has been updating MPs with new details on UK operations in the Middle East, including deployments to the region and evacuations of British nationals.
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He said on Monday: “The UK is now conducting defensive air sorties in support of the UAE. Typhoons successfully took out two drones, one over Jordan, the second heading to Bahrain.
“The third Wildcat [helicopter] has now arrived in Cyprus, and we’ve now deployed additional RAF operations experts in more than five countries in the region, helping coordinate regional military and civilian airspace.”
A Typhoon jet is prepared for defensive operations across the Middle East. Pic: MoD
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter on an initial test flight at a British base in Cyprus. Pic: MoD
He added that the destroyer HMS Dragon would set sail for the eastern Mediterranean “in the next couple of days”, where it will join US air defence vessels.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has posted a short video on X showing a drone being blown up by RAF jets.
HMS Dragon, which will depart Portsmouth in the coming days. Pic: MoD
Loading stores on HMS Dragon on Monday. Pic: MoD
The defence secretary also confirmed that 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the war in Iran and three chartered flights to the UK have now taken off from Oman’s capital, Muscat, “with more to come this week”.
Mr Healey said “fragments” of the Iranian drone that hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus last week “are being analysed for foreign military hardware by our experts at DSTL [Defence Science and Technology Laboratory]”.
The cabinet minister also said that after the UK gave the US permission to use British bases for defensive operations, the first US bomber aircraft landed at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, on Friday.
Earlier in the Commons, the chancellor admitted the conflict in the Middle East is likely to put “upward pressure on inflation“, although the UK is ready to support the release of oil reserves as supply issues continue.
Rachel Reeves said additional funding had been approved for the MoD to deploy “additional capabilities” in the region.
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Meanwhile, Downing Street has steered away from suggestions that the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is preparing to deploy to the Mediterranean.
No decision about deployments had been made, and the Prince of Wales has always been at a high level of readiness, Number 10 said today.
The shadow defence secretary responded to Mr Healey’s statement in the Commons by criticising the government for the delay in sending HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean.
James Cartlidge said it had “completely undermined Britain’s international standing” while Mr Healey defended the government’s response and called Mr Cartlidge an “armchair general”.
