The move adds fighter support to existing British air defence assistance, including equipment deployed to protect against missiles and drones. The UK will also provide an RAF A400M transport aircraft to move defence materiel within Saudi Arabia and military advisers to assist Saudi staff officers.
“RAF Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to help protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles,” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. “This builds on the UK equipment and personnel we already have in the country to defend against Houthi air attacks.”
Britain will also extend air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi defensive air operations. The ministry said those operations include action to degrade Houthi military targets in Yemen that threaten Saudi and Yemeni people.
The Typhoons’ role is limited to defending against aerial attacks, while refuelling assistance supports the Saudi operations described by the ministry. The announcement did not give aircraft numbers, operating locations or a mission timetable.
The additional support follows escalating Houthi attacks, including the targeting of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Britain condemned attacks on civilian targets and said Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen have the right to defend themselves.
“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” Streeting said. “The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region.”
The government said instability in the Gulf threatens British economic and security interests through disruption to energy supplies and higher costs for households and businesses. It also warned that the violence was deepening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
