Minister meets crews who will 'take out' Iranian drones
BBCA senior defence minister has visited the Royal Navy Air Station from where two helicopters are being send to Cyprus due to the ongoing Iran conflict that has seen drones fired at a British base on the island.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, visited RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset on Thursday, where he met the crews from the Royal Navy's 815 Naval Air Squadron and examined the type of anti-drone Wildcat helicopters that they will be flying.
The helicopters and crew are expected to arrive on the Mediterranean island on Friday.
"They'll be joining a set of forces that have been pre-positioned ready for any Iranian attack," said Pollard.
"We've already seen Typhoons and F35Bs take out Iranian drones threatening our bases and our allies and the Wildcat crews will be contributing to that effort," he added.
The government has previously announced that it is deploying the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to the area to assist with defensive operations after drones targeted RAF Akrotiri over the weekend.
Pollard says that the helicopters will be deployed to "take out Iranian drones that are not only targeting those UK bases but also our allies in the region".
"We have a commitment to not only keep our country and our personnel safe, but also to back our allies in the region and that's what the crews that will be flying these helicopters will be doing, " he added.
Four RAF fighter jets are also being deployed to Qatar to strengthen defences there.
The Wildcat is a multi-role helicopter that will be equipped with 20 Martlet missiles that can be used against drones.
"We normally operate in the maritime - so are able to shoot missiles at ships and uncrewed surface vessels - but we can also drop torpedoes against submarines, so there's plenty we can do," said Andrew Henderson, commanding officer of the Wildcat maritime force at RNAS Yeovilton.
"As we are now showing, it [the Wildcat] also has versatility in countering unmanned aerial systems and we can use that any time, any place around the world," he added.
The conflict began on 28 February and has involved numerous countries across the region.
The UK has so far decided against joining the US and Israel in strikes against Iran but has allowed American forces to use British bases for certain types of operation.
"Our deployment in the region is to support our defensive capabilities and protect our people, our bases and our allies," said Pollard.
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