RAF jets had near-misses with two mystery drones over the North Sea, and NEITHER showed up on radar

On 18 February, off Cromer in Norfolk, an object flashed so close over an RAF Voyager tanker refuelling a Typhoon that its pilot instinctively ducked. It was flying at 17,000ft, more than 40 times the legal drone ceiling. Five days later, about 30 miles off Humberside, a Typhoon pilot saw a black circular object the size of a car tyre pass above him. Police were alerted and several external investigations are under way.

The tanker pilot radioed: 'Just had something go overhead of us – potential drone.'

MoD sites logged 340 drone security incidents in the year to August 2026.

The MoD would not discuss the cases but says it is spending over £2 billion on counter-drone defences.