UK Expands Air Defence Operations Across Gulf, Deploys Planners to CENTCOM

13/04/2026

LONDON, Apr 13: The UK Ministry of Defence said that British Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets, along with Wildcat helicopters, have continued defensive operations over the weekend across multiple regions, including Cyprus, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

In a statement issued Monday, the ministry said additional UK military planners have been deployed to US CENTCOM to assess options aimed at ensuring the Strait of Hormuz can be made accessible and secure once hostilities in the region come to an end.

The UK also confirmed that enhanced air defence support to Gulf partners is now active, including the deployment of the Lightweight Multirole Launcher in Bahrain, as well as the Rapid Sentry and ORCUS systems in Kuwait.

The Ministry of Defence said the measures are part of ongoing efforts to strengthen regional defence cooperation and support allied nations amid heightened security challenges in the Gulf region.