Latest news with #ShadowR1
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
UK using US contractor to conduct Gaza spy flights: The Times report - War on Gaza
The UK military has used US contractors to conduct spy flights over Gaza for Israel due to a shortage of British aircraft, The Times reported on Thursday. The UK government acknowledged this year that it conducts such flights over the war-ravaged Palestinian territory but insisted they were "solely in support of hostage rescue". The spy flights appear increasingly at odds with the UK government's growing public frustration with Israel over the war in Gaza, and increasing international demands for a ceasefire. Last week, Britain announced it would formally recognise a Palestinian state if steps, including a ceasefire, were not taken by mid-September. It has been said that the flights are part of its response to October 7, 2023. The Royal Air Force (RAF) had been using its Shadow R1 reconnaissance aircraft to film over Gaza, aiding the search for the captives, but turned to a US firm after the planes were reassigned or needed maintenance, according to The Times. The Nevada-based company being used is a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, one of the world's largest military contractors, the newspaper said. It is likely to be seen as further evidence that Britain's military has been pared back too drastically over recent decades, primarily due to budget pressures. Relying on private sector contractors, which use an RAF base in Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, can have pitfalls. The flight path of a US-operated sortie last month over the largely destroyed Gaza city of Khan Yunis became public following what The Times called a "schoolboy" error. It said the plane's transponder had not been fully turned off, which meant it could be identified on flight-tracking websites and platforms as flying over southern Gaza. The UK defence ministry declined to comment, citing the need to protect operational security around intelligence matters. It reiterated that Britain conducts surveillance flights over Gaza to help Israel locate captives and only passes on intelligence related to that. In March, armed forces secretary Luke Pollard told MPs, "These flights are solely in support of hostage rescue". Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
UK outsourcing Gaza spy missions to US firm amid RAF shortfall
LONDON: The UK military has used US contractors to conduct spy flights over Gaza for Israel due to a shortage of British aircraft, The Times reported on Thursday. The UK government acknowledged this year that it conducts such flights over the war-ravaged Palestinian territory but insisted they were "solely in support of hostage rescue." The spy flights appear increasingly at odds with the UK government's growing public frustration with Israel over the war in Gaza, and increasing international demands for a ceasefire. Last week, Britain announced it would formally recognise a Palestinian state if steps including a ceasefire were not taken by mid-September. It has said the flights are part of its response to the Oct 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that set off the war. Out of 251 hostages captured during the attacks, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Royal Air Force (RAF) had been using its Shadow R1 reconnaissance aircraft to film over Gaza aiding the search for the hostages, but turned to a US firm after the planes were reassigned or needed maintenance, according to The Times. The Nevada-based company being used is a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, one of the world's largest military contractors, the newspaper said. It is likely to be seen as further evidence that Britain's military has been pared back too drastically over recent decades, primarily due to budget pressures. Relying on private sector contractors, which use an RAF base in Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, can have pitfalls. The flight path of a US-operated sortie last month over the largely destroyed Gazan city of Khan Yunis became public following what The Times called a "schoolboy" error. It said the plane's transponder had not been fully turned off, which meant it could be identified on flight-tracking websites and platforms as flying over southern Gaza. The UK defence ministry declined to comment, citing the need to protect operational security around intelligence matters. It reiterated Britain conducts surveillance flights over Gaza to help Israel locate hostages and only passes on intelligence related to that. In March, armed forces secretary Luke Pollard told MPs "these flights are solely in support of hostage rescue."
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
David Lammy contradicted as UK 'hands Gaza spy plane data to Israel'
In July, the Foreign Secretary insisted that the UK Government was not "assisting" in Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and "would never do that", when asked about the surveillance missions. READ MORE: This is what a nuclear attack on Scotland would look like Lammy explicitly stated the UK was not sharing intelligence with Israel. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Lammy was asked: 'What support is being given to the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Defence Forces militarily by the UK? For example, RAF flights, which overfly Gaza. Is information from those flights being given to the Israeli military to help them conduct their war in Gaza?' He replied: "No." Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: PA) He was then pressed: 'It's been said before that that information was helping to locate and potentially release the hostages. So fine, that's a commitment from you, a clear commitment that information from RAF military surveillance flights is not handed to Israel to help them, for example, identify targets in Gaza?' Lammy responded: 'We are not assisting and it would be quite wrong for the British Government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza, we are not doing that and would and would never do that.' However, UK Government sources have since confirmed to the Times that it is continuing to send spy flights over the besieged enclave and that the intelligence it gathers is being shared with Israel. Sources told the paper that "intelligence gathered by undisclosed RAF aircraft and other British assets in the region is being handed over to the Israeli military so it has up-to-date information". READ MORE: Otter cubs rescued from side of 'very busy road' by quick thinking festival goer The National has previously reported on the spy flights, which are conducted by Shadow R1 planes and have taken off from the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus since December 2023. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously insisted that the data it gathers from the hundreds of flights which it has sent over Gaza is used purely in support of "hostage rescue". The Shadow is flown by 14 Squadron, which is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. While there appear to have been an apparent lack of surveillance flights from the Shadow R1s in recent days, the MoD has confirmed that they are "still ongoing". An RAF source told the Times that they understood the Shadow aircraft had returned to the UK – with flight tracking data suggesting this took place on July 29 – but was unsure of which aircraft was now undertaking the surveillance activities. Independent journalist Matt Kennard, who has done previous investigations on the spy planes, claimed a US leasing company had taken over the flights from RAF Akrotiri. BREAKING: Gaza spy flights from UK base on Cyprus secretly shift to plane leased by company with billions in US military contracts New flights are on blocked list, but we tracked US plane over Gaza on 28 July when pilot forgot to turn off transponder for 1st time in 20 months👇 — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) August 4, 2025 The MoD is yet to confirm whether it is currently paying private contractors for the use of their aircraft for the missions. An MoD spokesperson told the Times: 'Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. "The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority. 'We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.' The National has also contacted the UK Government for comment.
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
UK Government continues to send spy planes over Gaza
It comes just weeks after Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted that the UK Government was not "assisting" in Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and "would never do that", when asked about the surveillance missions. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously insisted that the data it gathers from the hundreds of flights which it has sent over Gaza is used purely in support of "hostage rescue". READ MORE: This is what a nuclear attack on Scotland would look like And just two weeks ago, the Foreign Secretary explicitly stated the UK was not sharing the intelligence with Israel. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Lammy was asked: 'What support is being given to the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Defence Forces militarily by the UK? For example, RAF flights, which overfly Gaza, is information from those flights being given to the Israeli military to help them conduct their war in Gaza?' Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: PA) He replied 'no' before being pressed: 'It's been said before that that information was helping to locate and potentially release the hostages. So fine, that's a commitment from you, a clear commitment that information from RAF military surveillance flights is not handed to Israel to help them, for example, identify targets in Gaza?' Lammy responded: 'We are not assisting and it would be quite wrong for the British government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza, we are not doing that and would and would never do that.' However, UK Government sources have since confirmed to the Times that it is continuing to send these flights over the besieged enclave and that the intelligence it gathers is being shared with Israel. Sources told the paper that "intelligence gathered by undisclosed RAF aircraft and other British assets in the region is being handed over to the Israeli military so it has up-to-date information". READ MORE: Otter cubs rescued from side of 'very busy road' by quick thinking festival goer The National has previously reported on the spy flights, which are conducted by Shadow R1 planes and have taken off from the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus since December 2023. The Shadow is flown by 14 Squadron, which is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. While there appear to have been an apparent lack of surveillance flights from the Shadow R1s in recent days, the MoD has confirmed that they are "still ongoing". An RAF source told the Times that they understood the Shadow aircraft had returned to the UK – with flight tracking data suggesting this took place on July 29 – but was unsure of which aircraft was now undertaking the surveillance activities. Independent journalist Matt Kennard, who has done previous investigations on the spy planes, claimed a US leasing company had taken over the flights from RAF Akrotiri. BREAKING: Gaza spy flights from UK base on Cyprus secretly shift to plane leased by company with billions in US military contracts New flights are on blocked list, but we tracked US plane over Gaza on 28 July when pilot forgot to turn off transponder for 1st time in 20 months👇 — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) August 4, 2025 The MoD is yet to confirm whether it is currently paying private contractors for the use of their aircraft for the missions. An MoD spokesperson told the Times: 'Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority. 'We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.' The National has also contacted the UK Government for comment.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
RAF planes assist Israel in Gaza hostage search despite tense relations over war
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Already a subscriber? Sign in here Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. RAF planes assist Israel in Gaza hostage search despite tense relations over war The Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft. Photo / UK Ministry of Defence British military aircraft are flying over Gaza to help Israel find missing hostages, even as the UK condemns Israel's actions in the war-torn region. Intelligence gathered by RAF planes is 'routinely' shared with the Israelis, who use the information to track captured hostages, the Ministry of Defence told the Telegraph. Hundreds of missions have been flown by Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft over Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023, including last month. The news came as Benjamin Netanyahu considered plans to fully occupy the Palestinian territory. A senior Israeli official was quoted in Israeli media as saying: 'The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas.'
