UK to send warship after Cyprus base hit by drone

The UK will send helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and a warship to protect British military personnel in Cyprus, the Prime Minister has said as the Middle East war continues to spiral.

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the UK will send HMS Dragon, one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers, after RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus was hit by a drone.

While there were some suggestions online that HMS Dragon was in deep maintenance, a Government source said these were incorrect and the destroyer was being “readied as we speak”, and it was pictured on Tuesday night at the Upper Harbour Ammunition Facility (UHAF) in Portsmouth harbour.

Two Wildcat helicopters will join the vessel, equipped with Martlet missiles – which are designed to counter drone attacks.

Sir Keir posted on X: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.

“We’re continuing our defensive operations and I’ve just spoken with the president of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.

“We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies.”

HMS Dragon, which has a Welsh red dragon emblazoned across its bow, is crewed by more than 200 people.

Designed for air defence, it is equipped with a Sea Viper anti-air missile system.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “We are moving quickly to further reinforce our defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“HMS Dragon brings world-class air defence capability, and our Wildcat helicopters are armed with Martlet missiles to counter the growing drone threat.

“I am deeply proud of the professionalism and bravery of our Armed Forces personnel who have in recent days, successfully taken action across the region to protect our allies and defend British interests.”

Elsewhere, RAF F-35B jets shot down multiple drones over Jordan, the first time one of the jets, also known as Lightning, has shot down a target during an operation.

This followed earlier strikes on drones by a British counter-drone unit in Iraqi airspace, as well as by an RAF Typhoon, which shot down an Iranian drone directed at Qatar on Monday.

Sir Keir granted permission on Sunday for the US to use British bases for “defensive” strikes on Iran’s missile sites, a day after the launch of joint American-Israeli military action against Tehran over the weekend.

Hours afterwards, a drone hit RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign air base on the island, though the Prime Minister said it was launched before his announcement and was not in retaliation.

Mr Healey said there were no casualties and the damage to the base was minimal.

The families of service personnel have been moved away from the base as a precaution.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Cypriot government said two further unmanned drones heading towards the base had been intercepted.

The Defence Secretary said the drone that struck Akrotiri was an example of the “dangerous and indiscriminate attacks” by Iran and its proxies.

France is also reportedly planning to move air defence systems to Cyprus.

Paris will dispatch a frigate as well as anti-missile and anti-drone systems to the country, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency has said.