Drone - near misses

Posted: 18th October 2026

RAF reports mystery drones over Britain. Near misses occur days apart during military exercises, with one object spotted at 17,000ft – 40 times the legal height limit. Royal Air Force jets reported close encounters with two unidentified drones in British skies this year, The Telegraph can disclose. The near misses took place days apart during simulated air combat training and an air-to-air refuelling exercise over the North Sea. One of the mystery objects was spotted at an altitude of 17,000ft, more than 40 times the legal height limit for commercial drones. Incident logs seen by The Telegraph show that the RAF reported the sightings to police and that “multiple different external investigations” are ongoing. The incidents occurred amid growing fears that hostile powers are using drones to spy on the West.

Telegraph 16th Oct 2026

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/16/raf-mystery-drones-britain/