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UK Confirms F-35Bs Shot Down Drones as New Defences are Deployed for RAF Akrotiri

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The UK MoD has confirmed that its F-35B Lightning stealth fighters engaged and destroyed drones over Jordan, as it announces additional protective measures for RAF Akrotiri. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced via social media shortly after 1600 UTC on Mar. 3, 2026 after much speculation in the British press that the Royal Navy had been tasked to deploy the Type 45 air defence destroyer HMS Dragon (D35) and ‘helicopters with counter drone capabilities’ to guard Cyprus from further drone attacks.

Shortly afterwards, an official press release with further detail was released by the Ministry of Defence where the announcement was also made that Royal Air Force F-35Bs had shot down drones while operating from RAF Akrotiri over Jordan. Six F-35Bs were sent to RAF Akrotiri last month as the UK responded to heightened regional tensions.

Image of RAF F-35B Lightning aircraft, seen here arriving at RAF Akrotiri from RAF Marham. (Image credit: AS1 Riley Allison/Crown Copyright)

Although UK F-35s, jointly operated by the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm, have previously undertaken frontline missions during Operation Shader, the MoD states that this is the first time they have actually engaged and destroyed a target in a live mission. No exact number of drones shot down during the mission was stated, though a video (embedded below) was released.

Secretary of State for Defence 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.”

Image of an RAF F-35B aircraft, seen here taking off for operations across the Middle East. British jets are protecting UK personnel and allied nations across the Middle East, shooting down hostile drones. (Image credit: AS1 Joshua Whiting/Crown Copyright)

These engagements by F-35s add to those already announced by the UK in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran. On Sunday, Mar. 1, a Royal Air Force Typhoon deployed to Qatar and operating with the joint UK-Qatar 12 Squadron, destroyed an Iranian drone heading for Qatar. A UK counter drone unit in Iraq also successfully brought down drones in Iraqi airspace which were threatening coalition airbases. 

Image of RAF Typhoon and F-35B aircraft, seen here before operations across the Middle East. (Image credit: AS1 Joshua Whiting/Crown Copyright)

Protecting RAF Akrotiri

RAF Akrotiri, located on Cyprus but inside British territory, was struck by a one-way attack drone on the evening of Mar. 1, 2026, thought to have been launched either by Iran or a regional proxy force. The attack caused minimal damage and no injuries, and several more drones heading towards the base are understood to have been downed before they could reach their target. 

As we stated in a previous article, although the UK Government received a significant amount of criticism for ‘allowing’ the drone attack to occur, it should be stressed that even some of the most well-defended locations in the Middle East have not been able to protect against every single munition sent their way.

We do know that in addition to the F-35s deployed to the base during February, some additional capabilities including air defence radars and counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems, were also sent, but it is impossible to be definitively sure what has and what has not been deployed there in the cargo holds of the Royal Air Force’s strategic airlifters.

A Wildcat HMA2 on HMS Dauntless during the Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment prepped with a maximum load of 20 Martlet missiles. (Image credit: LPhot Kevin Walton/Crown Copyright)

The helicopters due to be deployed are the Royal Navy’s Wildcat HMA2s, which have proven their worth in this role during exercises and were tasked with guarding the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group from precisely these types of threats as it transited the Eastern Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Red Sea in 2025. 

Two Wildcat helicopters can be operated from Type 45 destroyers, and it’s possible that two of these helicopters will be ‘picked up’ as the deploying ship sails along the southern English coast past RNAS Yeovilton on its way south. Alternatively, if there is a desire to expedite their deployment, Wildcats are easily able to be air transported in a C-17 Globemaster III or an Airbus A400M Atlas C1. 

Type 45 Destroyer

Initially, it was speculated that HMS Duncan (D37) was the most likely candidate for a Type 45 to deploy to the area, but HMS Dauntless (D33) and Dragon were also mentioned as under consideration and at three days’ notice to sail. Of the three, Duncan is the most apparently ready ship to deploy, having recently been at sea completing exercises dealing with very timely types of threats. However, HMS Dragon was specifically mentioned by the Prime Minister (PM) in his social media statement as well as the follow up MoD press release.

At the time of writing, HMS Dragon is scheduled to depart its lock at HMNB Portsmouth for the Upper Harbour Ammunitioning Facility (UHAF) at 2215 GMT on Mar. 3. The UHAF, in the middle of Portsmouth Harbour, is where Type 45s are loaded with their Aster 15 and Aster 30 surface to air missiles. Interestingly, though, HMS Duncan is also scheduled to depart the harbour on Mar. 4. 

Notably, compared to Duncan, Dragon has completed the Power Improvement Project (PIP) upgrade which saw the ship’s two diesel engines replaced with three more reliable and more powerful units. As well as providing additional power overheads for new equipment, the project sought to mitigate reliability issues which had infamously plagued the class while operating in warmer waters like the Mediterranean or East of Suez. 

HMS Dragon’s 48 Sylver vertical launch system (VLS) cells. (Image credit: PO Gibson/Crown Copyright)

Type 45 destroyers, also known as the Daring class, are the Royal Navy’s premier air defence vessels and are often billed as one of the most capable air defence vessels currently in service. The ships currently boast 48 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, but are due to be gradually upgraded with an additional 24 dedicated cells for the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) or Sea Ceptor missile as carried by the Royal Navy’s frigates.

Each ship carries two powerful radar systems – an S1850M long range search radar mounted aft, and a SAMPSON multi-function radar carried at the top of the integrated mainmast. Although at first glance the Type 45 appears to lack the flat-faced phased array radars that equip many modern warships, the near-spherical SAMPSON is in fact a hybrid system. Instead of a fixed radome, where a mechanically scanned radar dish rotates inside the dome, SAMPSON actually carries two active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar faces on each side of the dome, which rotates in its entirety. This, in essence, means the radar is both electronically and mechanically scanning.

By using two radar faces that are assisted by mechanical rotation in place of four radar faces, as seen on ships like the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, the Type 45 is able to mount its radar arrays far higher above the surface of the water. This grants a considerable advantage against low-flying targets like sea-skimming missiles, drones, and surface vessels.

European Reinforcements

Before the UK announced its additional deployments, Greece sent four F-16 Fighting Falcons to Paphos International Airport in Cyprus and also confirmed that two Hellenic Navy frigates would be stationed in the area. While no attacks have so far directly threatened the Republic of Cyprus itself – only the UK Sovereign Base Areas – there is a clear risk of stray munitions finding their way into Cypriot territory. 

France, whose facilities at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was hit by an Iranian drone on Mar. 1, have dispatched extra Dassault Rafale fighters into the region. When asked whether Rafale jets already stationed at Al Dhafra had taken part in defending against Iranian attacks, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “They have carried out operations to secure the airspace above our bases.”

Together with Germany, both France and the UK have declared their willingness to conduct defensive actions against Iranian missile and drone launch sites should attacks against coalition bases or regional allies continue. Germany, as well as Poland, interestingly, said that they had prior awareness of the U.S.-Israeli operation before it was launched – something which other countries, including France, said they were not privy to. 

U.S. refueling aircraft leaving Spain for Ramstein, Germany. (Image credit: Flightradar24.com)

Spain has made a strong stance in opposition to the U.S. actions by directly denying permission for the U.S. to involve any of its bases in Spain with operations against Iran. Consequently, a huge train of refueling aircraft made their way from their forward deployed locations at Morón Air Base and Naval Air Station Rota to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in France. France has only occasionally hosted forward deployments of NATO aircraft since the decision by President Charles de Gaulle in 1966 to evict all U.S. units based in the country, although Istres was notably used by KC-135s and U-2s during the NATO air campaign in Yugoslavia. 

This is an emerging story and may be updated as new details become available. 


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