John Healey, the defence secretary, is weighing the option of dispatching a Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus to bolster the security of British installations after a series of apparently hostile drones struck RAF Akrotiri on the island.
Defence officials said a deployment of HMS Duncan, presently stationed in Portsmouth, is being discussed as a means to reinforce the Cypriot base – although another source suggested that one of two alternative destroyers could be sent instead.
HMS Duncan is equipped for counter‑drone missions and last month took part in a trial exercise off Wales, confronting swarms of unmanned aircraft before hosting a family day on Friday. Its readiness for immediate departure remains uncertain.
The ship would need roughly five to seven days to sail from Portsmouth to Cyprus, travelling at about 30 knots (34.5 mph). The United States has offered no clue as to how long it plans to continue striking Iran, even though on Monday night former president Donald Trump warned the conflict could last four to five weeks.
John Foreman, a former UK defence attaché in Moscow, said it was surprising that Britain had waited so long to send a warship to safeguard Cyprus and its own bases there, given the conspicuous US military buildup ahead of a joint strike on Iran scheduled for Saturday.
“Now the UK is ‘considering’ sending a destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean is a clear sign it should already have been present,” Foreman said.
France has already pledged to send a frigate and anti‑drone equipment to Cyprus, Cypriot officials said. A request for assistance from Germany is also under review.
“This latest deliberation seems prompted more by news of the French deployment. The MoD has consistently lagged behind the curve and is now scrambling to catch up – a shortfall in planning, intelligence and foresight,” he added.
No major Royal Navy vessels are currently operating in the Middle East or have been positioned in the region, despite the conflict now being in its fourth day and British interests having been targeted. Only a single mine‑hunter, HMS Middleton, is stationed in Bahrain.
A Shahed‑type drone breached Akrotiri’s air defences on Monday, causing minor damage when it crash‑landed on the runway, even though counter‑drone teams were on site. Two additional drones were intercepted later that day.
Cypriot sources said the drone that struck the runway is thought to have been launched from Lebanese territory controlled by Hezbollah, a pro‑Iranian militia, although the Ministry of Defence has not confirmed this.
Residents near Akrotiri were told to stay indoors after the first incident, and families of UK service members are being moved off the base as a precaution.
Social‑media footage appeared to show the runway‑impacting drone fitted with a Russian‑made antenna, but this detail has not been verified.
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