RAF crews report unidentified drones near jets off England's east coast five days apart in February

Mixed · 2Two RAF aircraft reported close encounters with unidentified objects, logged as drones, during exercises off England's east coast in February, according to reports by the Telegraph relayed by the Daily Mirror and GB News. 1 2 Mixed · 2The first incident was on 18 February, when an RAF Airbus Voyager tanker was refuelling a Typhoon off Cromer, Norfolk. The object was seen at about 17,000ft and passed so close that the Voyager's pilot instinctively ducked. 1 2 Right · 1GB News adds that the Voyager pilot said by radio that something had gone overhead, and that the Typhoon crew also saw it and estimated it passed 100 to 150 feet above them. 2

Mixed · 2The second incident was on 23 February, about 30 miles off Humberside, when a Typhoon pilot practising dogfighting with another jet saw a black circular object, similar in size to a car tyre, pass about 300ft overhead. 1 2 Right · 1GB News says the Typhoon was at about 12,500ft at the time, and that the controller overseeing the exercise filed a report with North Yorkshire Police. 2 Mixed · 2Neither object showed up on radar. The incidents were reported to police, and it is understood that several external investigations are under way. 1 2

Right · 1GB News reports that the RAF assessed both pilots as having responded appropriately, and that a local investigation into the second incident found no causal factors because it happened off frequency and the drone did not appear on radar. 2 Right · 1GB News also reports that the Voyager pilot later said, "upon reflection and discussion", that the object could not be positively identified as a drone and might have been a balloon or similar item. 2 Mixed · 2Commercial drones are barred from flying above 400ft. Both outlets say the sightings were far above what most commercially available drones can reach, and neither reports evidence linking them to a hostile state. 1 2

Left · 1The Mirror sets the sightings against wider concern about hostile drone surveillance of the West. It cites an International Institute for Strategic Studies report that a drone campaign over UK and European military bases ran from August 2024 to February 2026 and was likely launched from Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers. It also notes the encounters came days before the start of the US war with Iran. 1 Right · 1GB News says the Ministry of Defence was contacted for comment, and that experts consulted by the Telegraph called the sightings highly unusual. 2