Drone strike at RAF Akrotiri damages hangar housing American spy planes
A DRONE that exploded at a British air base hit a hangar used by top secret US spy planes, The Sun can reveal.
Defence Secretary John Healey claimed the damage caused by the strike on RAF Akrotiri was “minimal”.
But a photograph obtained by The Sun shows a gaping 30ft hole in the side of a hangar that houses American U-2 spy planes.
The drone struck the hangar at midnight on Sunday and erupted in a fireball.
The UK MoD admitted that a hangar had been hit after being confronted with our evidence.
\A photograph obtained by The Sun shows a gaping 30ft hole in the side of a hangar
The hangar houses American U-2 spy planes
The hangar is situated at the RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus
But they continued to insist that the damage was “minimal”.
A spokesperson said: “There were no casualties and thorough assessments determine that the damage is minimal.
“There has been no damage to equipment inside the hangar.”
A fleet of U-2 Dragon Ladies are permanently based at RAF Akrotiri as part of a decades-long spy mission codenamed Olive Harvest.
The single-seater U-2 planes soar to over 70,000ft and can soak up signals intelligence, take detailed photographs and test the atmosphere for radiation from nuclear weapons tests.
US officials refused to comment on details of the Sunday night strike.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the drone hit the airfield’s 2.4km long runway.
But the photograph obtained by The Sun shows a tear at least 30ft long and 20ft wide in the western side of the hangar.
It suggests the drone must have looped round the base as officials hinted it was fired from Lebanon, 150 miles to the east across the eastern Mediterranean.
Western officials insisted the drone was “not fired from Iran”.
An source said: “We have acquired that drone and we can confirm that it is a Shahed-type drone.
“We do know that drone was not launched from Iran.
“Based on type of drone and its range and ability, Defence Intelligence can confirm that that drone was not launched from Iran.”
Earlier Healey had signalled the drone was airborne for more than an hour.
He said it was fired before PM Keir Starmer announced his latest U-turn to let US forces use UK bases to bomb Iran.
The PM announced the decision at 9pm UK time on Sunday. The drone hit Akrotiri an hour later.
It landed 800 yards from family homes just 10 minutes after the air raid sirens wailed across the base.
In flew more than 150 miles but was only detected around 20 miles out.
Defence sources said it flew low and slow, close to the sea with its “small radar cross section” making it difficult to detect.
President Zelensky of Ukraine has offered help to UK and US forces as his country is attacked with Shaheds almost every night.
RAF Akrotiri was home to more than 800 military personnel and thousands of contractors and families.
It has faced persistent threats from Russian spies and electronic warfare attacks.
There are unconfirmed reports that the drone included Russian made parts.
Iran invented Shahed drones and sold thousands to Russia for their war in Ukraine. Moscow now makes their own, under license, known as Gerans.
While intelligence gathered by the U-2s is top secret, the presence of the planes at RAF Akrotiri is well known.
Two U-2s are clearly visible next to the hangars on Google Earth.
They have been based there since the 1970s when Olive Harvest was launched to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Egypt after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
A UK source said the Olive Harvest compound is fenced off from the rest of the base protected by armed guards.
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