'Cheap, global, and unstoppable': Defence expert warns UK air defences must evolve after RAF Cyprus drone strike
Drone attacks are cheap, global, and increasingly hard to stop, and the UK must urgently invest in better, more cost-effective defences, a defence expert has told LBC.
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The warning comes as a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus was hit by a "kamikaze" drone, just hours after Sir Keir Starmer granted the United States permission to launch military strikes against Iran from British sovereign bases.
Dominic Surano, head of special projects at Nordic Air Defence, warned that the incident at RAF Akrotiri is part of a much broader, escalating trend.
"We’ve been warning for a long time that drone attacks are not siloed to specific conflict zones," Mr Surano told LBC.
"As we’ve already seen to an extent with the drone incursions over European airports, they can be deployed anywhere quickly and cheaply and we need to be prepared. This is what we saw over the weekend in Cyprus. Iran has also used drones to attack US bases across the Middle East. It should serve as a clear wake-up call to how these vehicles can be used indiscriminately."
Mr Surano added that the financial asymmetry of the conflict is a primary concern: "Across the Middle East, air defences are now being tested by drones that are hard to intercept, easy to produce at scale, and expensive to shoot down. We need to adapt to this new face of warfare and invest in better solutions to tackle this very real and growing threat."
Officials said RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was continuing to operate as normal despite the attack, but family members of personnel had been moved away from the base as a precaution. On Monday morning, British military personnel and their families were ordered to take cover as air raid sirens rang out for a second time.
Read more: Europe doesn’t control its own skies, and drones are exposing a dangerous defence blind spot
It is not yet clear whether the base was hit with a drone fired directly from Iran or from Tehran-backed proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The attack struck Akrotiri hours after the Prime Minister announced that American forces would be allowed to use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites in response to the barrage launched by Tehran against countries across the Middle East. The drone is believed to have been launched before Sir Keir announced the policy shift.
Around 300,000 Britons are believed to be in countries targeted by Iran, with 102,000 registered with the Foreign Office for updates as officials examine all options, including a potential mass evacuation.
Officials said the damage inflicted on Akrotiri by the kamikaze drone was "minimal" and there were no casualties.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority. As a precautionary measure we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus. Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests."
On Monday morning, British military personnel and their families were ordered to take cover as air raid sirens sounded for a second time. The Ministry of Defence described the physical damage as “minimal” and confirmed there were no casualties.
The UK will continue to carry out defensive operations, building on previous efforts where British forces shot down Iranian drones threatening northern Iraq and Qatar.
Explaining the need for action, Surano said, "An RAF typhoon shot down a drone over Qatar and a UK counter-drone unit in Iraq took down a drone heading towards a base housing UK service personnel. There is an urgent need for strong and versatile defence capabilities to counter them."
Late on Sunday, the Prime Minister said he had agreed to a US request to use British bases to protect UK nationals and allies in the region, accusing Iran of pursuing a "scorched earth strategy." Sir Keir stressed that British forces would not be directly involved in the strikes, and the bases would only be used for the "specific and limited defensive purpose" of targeting missile storage depots and launchers.
"We have taken the decision to accept this request, to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved," Sir Keir said.
The Prime Minister insisted the decision was fully in line with international law, citing "collective self-defence." Political reaction was mixed, with Green Party leader Zack Polanski condemning the decision as an "illegal war," while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described it as "better late than never."
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that while it was "not in the UK's interests" to support initial strikes that led to the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it was right to get involved now to protect British citizens.
The Foreign Office is currently mounting an unprecedented operation to support those in the region, with Ms. Cooper stating that "every possible option" is being examined, including a mass evacuation.