Overview
The Royal Air Force has reported two near-miss incidents involving objects described as drones during military exercises over Britain earlier this year, according to reporting by LBC and The Telegraph. The encounters occurred only days apart and involved RAF aircraft operating at altitudes well above the normal legal limit for civilian drones. The objects’ capabilities, operators and potential intent remain unknown, and no verified conclusion has been published identifying them as hostile or linking them to a foreign state.
The incidents were reportedly recorded during separate exercises over the North Sea and eastern England. One occurred near Cromer, Norfolk, during an air-to-air refuelling operation involving an RAF Airbus Voyager tanker and a Typhoon fighter. The second was reported near Humberside while two Typhoons were conducting simulated air-combat training.
Details of the Encounters
According to the reports, the first incident took place in February when an unidentified object passed close to the Voyager tanker as it refuelled a Typhoon. The object reportedly came close enough that the tanker pilot instinctively ducked before reporting the encounter to military air-traffic controllers. The available account does not specify the object’s size, speed, flight path or whether it was detected by radar.
A second sighting was reported on February 23. During dogfight training near Humberside, a Typhoon pilot reportedly saw a “black circular object” pass directly above the aircraft. The object was said to have travelled approximately 300 feet above the fighter, after which the pilot informed the radar controller monitoring the exercise. The sighting was subsequently passed to North Yorkshire Police.
The reports state that both objects were encountered at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with one account placing an object at approximately 17,000 feet. That would be around 40 times the 400-foot—or 120-metre—height limit that generally applies to ordinary drone operations in Britain. However, those restrictions apply to civilian operators and do not, by themselves, establish whether the objects were conventional consumer drones, military systems or another type of aircraft.
Investigations and Security Context
The sightings were reportedly referred to police, while “multiple different external investigations” are continuing. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the department remained vigilant in assessing potential threats, although the material available does not include a fuller official explanation of the incidents or any determination about the objects’ origin.
The reports come amid wider concern in Britain and Europe about the use of drones for surveillance around military facilities. An International Institute for Strategic Studies report cited by LBC examined an alleged Russian drone campaign between August 2024 and February 2026. It assessed that some drones may have been launched from vessels associated with Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and described the activity as a tactical success for Moscow and a failure of allied air defences. That broader assessment, however, does not establish a connection to the RAF encounters.
What Remains Unclear
The available information does not indicate whether the objects were tracked consistently, photographed, recovered or independently identified. Nor does it confirm that they were hostile, remotely operated drones rather than misidentified aircraft, balloons or other airborne objects. The incidents do underscore the operational risk posed by unidentified traffic near fast-moving military aircraft, particularly during refuelling and combat training. Until investigators release additional technical or forensic evidence, the RAF encounters remain unresolved aviation-safety and security incidents rather than confirmed acts of espionage or aggression.
