British Defence Minister John Healey arrives at Cyprus after drone strike

LONDON – Britain’s Defence Minister John Healey arrived at Cyprus on March 5, a defence source told AFP, after a drone strike on a British airbase
on the Mediterranean island.

The visit comes after the runway of the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri came under attack by an Iranian-made unmanned drone on March 2.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 3 Britain was sending “helicopters with counter drone capabilities” and a warship, HMS Dragon, to Cyprus as Britain continued “defensive operations” in the region.

HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers.

It is fitted with a Sea Viper missile system able to launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds and guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously, Britain’s Defence Ministry said.

The helicopters are Wildcat helicopters equipped with Martlet missiles that can destroy drones.

On March 4, Cyprus’ High Commissioner to the UK Kyriacos Kouros, said Cypriots were “disappointed” at the level of information-sharing with residents after RAF Akrotiri was hit and further drones intercepted.

“Let’s say the people are disappointed, the people are scared, the people could expect more,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

Mr Starmer initially refused to have any role in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but later agreed to a US request to use two British military bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.

Those bases are in Gloucestershire, western England, and the Britain-US Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.

Mr Starmer has insisted that the Akrotiri base is not being used by US bombers.

The drone strike on March 2 there caused minimal damage and no casualties, said British officials.

Service personnel’s families have been moved away from the base as a precaution. AFP