UK to send warship to eastern Mediterranean after drone hits RAF base in Cyprus

2026-03-03 - 20:03

LONDON — Keir Starmer said Tuesday that Britain will deploy a Royal Navy warship to the eastern Mediterranean to help protect a British air base in Cyprus after it was struck by a drone.Starmer confirmed that the destroyer HMS Dragon will sail to strengthen security around RAF Akrotiri, a key British military base located on the southern coast of Cyprus.A drone struck the runway at RAF Akrotiri on Monday, with the UK Ministry of Defence saying the damage was “minimal.”Starmer said he had spoken with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to inform him that the UK is also deploying helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities to reinforce defenses at the base.The move follows criticism from Cypriot officials over whether sufficient air defense measures were in place as Middle East tensions escalate.The BBC reported that while the Royal Navy has six Type 45 destroyers, only three are currently operational.HMS Dragon is expected to depart from Portsmouth late Tuesday. Britain currently has no other major warship deployed in the Mediterranean.Downing Street said RAF Akrotiri already has ground-based air defense systems, radar coverage and F-35 fighter jets stationed at the facility.The UK government said it had sent a “significant level of defensive capability” to the base after large-scale US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday.Tehran has since retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and US-linked sites in Gulf countries.France has also indicated it may move additional air defense systems to the region.The conflict entered its fourth day Tuesday, with no other major Royal Navy warships currently operating in or newly deployed to the Middle East.