The long-range Shahed-type drone not only flew to Cyprus and bypassed the British air defenses at Akrotiri airbase, but also struck the hangar housing unique American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.
The UK Ministry of Defense acknowledged the March 2 attack and confirmed that the drone was not launched from Iranian territory. The ministry also emphasized that the attack caused "minimal damage."
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At the same time, The Sun received photographs showing a hit on one of the hangars at this airbase. It houses American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. Before publication, the photo was shown to the UK Ministry of Defense, which confirmed it was authentic but stood by its assessment of the damage.
A 10×7-meter section of damage, caused by the drone or its debris, is located on the western side of the hangar. According to the publication, the drone covered about 240 km but was spotted just 30 km from the base.
From Defense Express we would like to note that there are no visible signs of an explosion or fire. This may indicate that the drone did not detonate. The 240 km distance may have been determined by analyzing the drone's flight mission using its electronics, or possibly from markings on the drone.
Interestingly, the 240 km distance is exactly the same as that from Akrotiri airbase to Lebanon. Not only Hezbollah, supported by Iran, operates on its territory, but also units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At the same time, the fact that the drone was spotted several dozen kilometers from the NATO base before the strike, yet was not destroyed, is significant. This is especially true given that such strikes from Lebanese territory were expected in the context of the operation against Iran.
Based on satellite images, there is unconfirmed information that two AN/TPY-2 radars for the THAAD missile defense system may have been destroyed in Jordan and the UAE. In addition, the AN/FPS-132 over-the-horizon radar in the UAE may also have been hit. At the same time, this country purchased 50 Pantsir air defense systems from russia to intercept drones.
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