UK to Deploy Air Defence Systems to Gulf 

The United Kingdom will send short-range air defence systems to Gulf countries to help counter missile and drone attacks linked to escalating tensions with Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Starmer told a parliamentary committee that deployments are being fast-tracked to Bahrain, with similar support being extended to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as Britain works with defence manufacturers to supply additional missile defence capabilities to regional partners.

“We’re deploying short-range air defence systems to Bahrain at speed. He added that the UK was “doing the same with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia”.

Defence Minister John Healey said the UK will deploy its Rapid Sentry anti-drone system to Kuwait, describing it as a “battle-tested” ground-based defence system that has already proven effective in countering drones in the region.

He also told lawmakers that a British warship, HMS Dragon, has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean to support the defence of Cyprus following recent regional security concerns.

Healey said Britain now has more fighter jets deployed in the region than at any point in the last 15 years, along with an additional 500 air defence personnel stationed in Cyprus. He added that UK pilots have spent nearly 900 hours conducting missions across Cyprus, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in response to increased drone activity in the region.

The UK government has also permitted the United States to use bases in Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford for operations targeting Iranian missile infrastructure linked to attacks on shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Healey said Britain remains committed to ensuring free and secure navigation through the strategic waterway, stressing that commercial shipping must operate safely.

He confirmed that Iran launched missiles toward the Diego Garcia base on Friday, but said both failed to reach their target and normal operations were unaffected.

He assured lawmakers that Britain has the military capability and alliances necessary to protect national security and respond to any potential escalation.