The United Kingdom has deployed elite counter-drone specialists to the Middle East to help defend military bases from potential Iranian drone attacks, according to a report by The Telegraph on March 4.
The deployment includes personnel from the 12th Regiment of the Royal Artillery, the British Army’s primary unit dedicated to countering unmanned aerial systems.
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According to the report, the first group of soldiers was sent to the region on Tuesday, March 3. Additional personnel are expected to follow later in the week as the mission expands.
Many of the troops being deployed were previously trained alongside Ukrainian forces and studied modern battlefield tactics used to counter Russian drones during the war. That experience is now being viewed as particularly valuable as drone warfare spreads across other regions.
Among the soldiers sent to the Middle East are specialists from the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery, widely considered the British Army’s leading anti-drone formation. While these troops trained with Ukrainian units on counter-drone tactics, they also provided instruction to Ukrainian soldiers on operating missile systems.
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Sources cited by The Telegraph said the deployment was carried out at the request of several countries in the region, although officials have not publicly identified which nations made the request.
According to one source familiar with the operation, the British personnel are expected to provide highly specialized expertise in detecting and countering drone threats.
“The first group are British personnel who have experience operating in Ukraine and working with Ukrainians, and they will be able to offer specialized advice, particularly on how they can combine sensing, warning and targeting against drones,” the source told the publication.
The exact location of the bases where the soldiers will be stationed has not been disclosed.
Officials have also indicated that the deployment does not appear to be part of a wider mobilization of additional British forces. Instead, the troops being sent to the Middle East are likely replacing personnel already operating in the region.
Earlier, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will aid the US defense against Shahed drones in the Middle East.
He said he had ordered the delivery of the necessary equipment and tasked Ukrainian specialists with deploying to the region to support local efforts and help ensure security.
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