HMS Queen Elizabeth is the Royal Navy’s flagship (Image: Jorgen Fromme/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
A drone came within 250 metres of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, prompting a criminal investigation into the illegal use of unmanned aerial vehicles near sensitive military sites.
The incident, revealed by Lord Coaker, Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence, occurred on November 22 as the carrier entered Hamburg port.
It comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Russia and the West, with Moscow likely to fall under suspicion given its extensive use of drone warfare in Ukraine. Parliamentarians have warned that these incursions pose serious risks to Britain’s critical infrastructure, including military bases, power stations, and transport hubs.
Lord Coaker informed the House of Lords that the investigation into this and other recent drone incursions is being led by the Ministry of Defence Police in collaboration with the United States Air Force (USAF) and civilian authorities.
This follows illegal drone activity …