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RAF Akrotiri on high alert as jets patrol skies
British Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets have spent the past month conducting round-the-clock patrols over Cyprus and Jordan, intercepting Iranian drones amid escalating regional tensions, the BBC reports from aboard an RAF Voyager refuelling aircraft.
Night missions reveal ongoing threats
During a nine-hour sortie, the jets refuelled seven times, consuming 30 tonnes of aviation fuel. As the Voyager neared the coastlines of Israel and Lebanon, flashes of orange light punctuated the darkness-likely Iranian missiles or Israeli air defences engaging targets.
"Quite often you can see either incoming missiles from Iran or the Israeli response," a crew member noted. "It might be the Iron Dome," the pilot added, referring to Israel's missile defence system. "We don't know for sure, but there's a lot of kinetic activity in that area."
Drones remain a persistent challenge
British jets have shot down several Iranian drones in recent weeks, though officials declined to specify the exact number of engagements. Each interception relies on advanced short-range air-to-air missiles (ASRAAM), described as "expensive golden bullets" against relatively cheap fibreglass drones.
Squadron Leader "Bally," an F-35 pilot, highlighted the risks of targeting low-flying drones, which increase the danger of collisions with terrain or other aircraft operating in the congested airspace.
Base security strengthened after drone strike
RAF Akrotiri, a critical hub for UK operations in the region, suffered a drone attack on the second night of the conflict. A small drone, likely launched from Lebanon, struck a US Air Force hangar, though damage was minimal. Major General Tom Bewick, Commander of British Forces Cyprus, dismissed the incident as ineffective, suggesting the attackers "hit what they were aiming at."
Since then, defences have been bolstered. The base now hosts eight Typhoon and eight F-35 jets, Wildcat helicopters equipped with air-defence missiles, Merlin helicopters with early-warning radar, and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon patrolling offshore. Bewick acknowledged Iran's threats against the base but insisted it is "as well protected as it can be."
Diplomatic tensions and operational strain
Cyprus's president called for discussions about the base's future after the attack, though Bewick emphasised that UK sovereignty over Akrotiri "is not up for debate." Meanwhile, the UK's heightened posture has strained resources: helicopters intended for the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales were diverted, and RAF jets paused their decade-long counter-ISIS missions (Operation Shader) to focus on defending Cyprus.
Group Captain Adam Smolak, RAF Akrotiri's Station Commander, warned that the conflict-and the base's role in it-would likely persist "for quite some time."
