In brief
The first incident was on 18 February 2026, when an RAF Airbus Voyager tanker refuelling a Typhoon off Cromer, Norfolk, came close to an unidentified object. The second, on 23 February, involved a Typhoon pilot who saw a black circular object pass above him near Humberside.
One drone was reported at about 17,000 ft, which the Telegraph describes as 40 times the legal height limit for commercial drones of 120 metres (400 ft). The Independent says both drones were seen above 10,000ft.
The Independent reports some 340 security incidents involving drones at or near MoD sites in the year to August 2026, compared with 250 in 2025 and 126 in the year before.
The sightings were reported to police and several external investigations are ongoing. It is not clear whether the drones were hostile, and their source has not been revealed.
- 18 FebRAF Airbus Voyager tanker refuelling a Typhoon off Cromer, Norfolk; the tanker's pilot ducked as an unidentified object came close
- 23 FebTyphoon pilot reports a black circular object passing directly above him near Humberside
Two near misses in February
The Royal Air Force has reported two near-miss incidents involving unidentified drones over the North Sea, both in February 2026 and both during training. The first took place on 18 February, when an RAF Airbus Voyager tanker was refuelling a Typhoon fighter off Cromer in Norfolk. The tanker's pilot ducked as an unidentified object came close to the aircraft. The second took place on 23 February, when a Typhoon pilot practising dogfights with another jet saw a "black circular object" pass directly above him. LBC places that sighting about 300ft above the Typhoon near Humberside, and says the commander passed it to a radar controller who alerted North Yorkshire Police.
Altitude and the legal limit
The Telegraph's account puts one of the objects at about 17,000 ft, which it describes as 40 times the legal height limit for commercial drones. The Independent reports that both drones were seen above 10,000ft. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, drones must generally fly below 120 metres (400 ft) to reduce the risk of meeting other aircraft. Sightings at such heights are uncommon but not unprecedented, since the UK Airprox Board has considered suspected drone reports from military and civilian pilots at similar altitudes. Logs seen by the Telegraph show the reports were passed to police and that "multiple different external investigations" are under way. Whether the drones were hostile remains unclear, and the source of the drones has not been revealed.
A wider pattern of drone sightings
A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies covers a drone campaign running from August 2024 to February 2026, and it concluded that Russian intelligence ran the operation. It judged the drones were likely launched from the Kremlin's shadow fleet of oil tankers carrying sanctioned fuel. Defence experts have also linked drones seen over US air bases in Norfolk and Suffolk to a Russian vessel operating just offshore. Former Conservative defence minister Tobias Ellwood has argued that Russia and Iran are behind many of the incidents, though that is his own assessment rather than a finding of the authorities investigating them. The Independent reports some 340 security incidents involving drones at or near Ministry of Defence sites in the year to August 2026, up from 250 in 2025 and 126 in the year before that. Experts have warned the sharp rise points to gaps in the government's readiness against hostile drones.
- Year before 2025
- 126 incidents
- 2025
- 250 incidents
- Year to August 2026
- 340 incidents
Data from the article text
Government response
The Ministry of Defence did not address the two incidents specifically, but a spokesperson said the department was staying alert to drone activity. The spokesperson said the department is investing more than £2 billion in wider air defence and counter-drone capabilities, including the upgrade and sustainment of the Typhoon fleet. A further statement set out the department's position on threats.
“We remain highly vigilant to the potential threats posed to defence and stand ready to respond appropriately through our measures and capabilities that keep our Armed Forces safe.”
The ministry added that drone sightings are not necessarily hostile, but where activity is assessed as a credible threat it has measures available to respond. It does not comment on specific threat assessments. The sightings came days before the start of US President Donald Trump's war with Iran, according to the Evening Standard. Police inquiries and the external investigations remain open, and no source has yet identified who operated the drones.