Elite drone hunters trained in Ukraine sent to Middle East

The United Kingdom has deployed elite experts in counter-drone operations to the Middle East to protect bases from Iranian attacks, The Telegraph reports.

According to the report, on Tuesday, March 3, soldiers who had trained alongside Ukrainians in the latest tactics for countering Russian drones were sent to the region. Additional personnel are expected to be deployed later this week.

Among the so-called elite troops trained with Ukrainians are soldiers from the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery, the British Army’s primary unit for counter-UAV operations. These soldiers had previously trained Ukrainian forces in missile operations.

Sources said that the deployment was made at the request of “multiple” countries in the region.

The British deployment involves two groups: “The first lot are Brits who have got experience working in Ukraine and with Ukrainians and they’ll be able to offer specialist advice, particularly on how they might layer the sensing, the warning and the targeting of the drones,” a source told the publication.

The exact location of the deployed troops’ base has not been disclosed. It is understood that no broader order for additional troop mobilisation has been issued, which means that personnel sent are likely replacing soldiers already in the operational area.

The Telegraph adds that the deployment was prompted after an Iranian drone struck a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on Sunday evening.