The UK Ministry of Defence released footage on Thursday showing RAF Regiment counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) operators bracing at an undisclosed Gulf region base as an Iranian ballistic missile struck nearby, providing the clearest verified visual record of British personnel under direct fire during the regional conflict.
Raw, unfiltered footage captured on the ground as our troops take cover from an aerial threat in The Middle East.
In the past few months, RAF Counter Uncrewed Aerial System teams, operating Rapid Sentry, have been actively shooting down drone threats using Lightweight… pic.twitter.com/w2syFQZNHf
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 30, 2026
Audio in the footage captures a team leader directing, “Make sure you’re ready to brace,” followed by a second operator calling out, “Boys, get ready to brace.” A base-wide tannoy then broadcast, “Incoming, incoming, incoming,” before a post-impact confirmation call registered, “Detection, ballistic missile impact.” No British personnel were injured.
The C-UAS team did not evacuate. They sheltered at their Rapid Sentry air defence systems, ground-based short-range platforms armed with Thales Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), and the post-impact status call indicates the team continued monitoring the threat signature through detonation. The MoD separately released footage showing a drone intercepted by RAF gunners during the same period.
RAF Counter Uncrewed Aerial System teams operating Rapid Sentry engage a drone threat using a Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM).
Working around the clock across the Middle East over the past few months, RAF Regiment gunners have been protecting UK personnel, partners and… pic.twitter.com/WVzGC9khHB
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 30, 2026
Four RAF Regiment gunners have achieved “ace” status, the first in the unit’s history, each having downed five or more Iranian drones while operating under sustained attack. Armed Forces Minister Alistair Carns said the gunners were shooting drones down “night after night, under threat.”
“We are all RAF Gunners, some as young as 18, many of us with over five confirmed engagements, and some just eight months out of training,” one gunner stated in an MoD release. “Under constant threat, we are responsible for detecting, tracking, and engaging targets, often while coming under fire.”
What’s it really like to be stationed on the frontline in the Middle East?
Air Specialist Wilkinson from the RAF Regiment shares his story — working around the clock to detect and shoot down aerial drone threats to protect our allies, filmed at the start of the month. pic.twitter.com/ftLXeywEsW
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 30, 2026
The MoD confirmed approximately 300 British personnel were within 200 metres of a missile and drone strike on the US naval base in Bahrain on March 1. Iran has fired more than 3,500 projectiles across the region since the conflict began.
