RAF flies a drone over the English Channel for the first time to track a Russian warship off British shores

The Protector RG1 drone flew for over ten hours providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage in the English Channel between late September and mid-October, the MoD confirmed. It operated alongside Royal Navy warships and helicopters as they tracked the Russian vessel.

Russia's ships have been tracked monitoring Britain's critical underwater cables, prompting a £330 million MoD investment in seabed surveillance.

A Russian drone attack could be launched in minutes from a ship off Britain's coast, a senior military commander warned last night.

'Labour are asleep at the wheel and don't seem to appreciate the threat that is close to our doorstep,' the commander said.