UK defence and law enforcement agencies have been alerted to potential sabotage attempts on multiple Royal Air Force facilities, following reports that the protest group Palestine Action is preparing further incursions.
According to The Daily Sceptic, Telegraph journalists infiltrated a recent online planning meeting in which members allegedly discussed forming autonomous cells to conduct covert actions against defence contractors and military sites.
The discussion reportedly focused on targets including RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath—two airfields actively involved in the training of Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter aircraft such as the F-16 and Mirage 2000. The same session came days after Palestine Action claimed responsibility for an illegal break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where red paint was sprayed over two Voyager aircraft. That incident is now the subject of a counter-terrorism investigation and prompted a full security review across the defence estate.
While not yet proscribed, the group is widely expected to be designated a terrorist organisation by the Home Secretary. In Parliament, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard described the Brize Norton attack as “epically stupid” and “a direct attack on our national security.” He added that Palestine Action’s recent activities “meet the threshold set out in the statutory tests established under the Terrorism Act 2000.”
Prominent defence commentators and open-source intelligence accounts have amplified the latest claims. One post from @Osinttechnical highlighted that RAF Cranwell and Barkston Heath—both key to the UK’s pilot training pipeline for Ukraine—had been discussed as targets. Another widely shared post warned of a “wave of attacks on RAF bases across the United Kingdom.”
The Ministry of Defence has not commented directly on the alleged meeting but has confirmed that security has been tightened at multiple sites. Senior officials remain concerned about the growing boldness of direct action tactics against military infrastructure, particularly given the role of UK bases in training and logistics linked to overseas operations.
Effective anti-drone systems are needed desperately, as this could be the weapon of choice. The plane watchers will be livid as viewpoints get roped off and perimeter policing stepped up. Remember the RAF regiments and their Scimitar light tanks, so what has happened to downgraded protection? I guess a lack of money?
A whole array of different measures are required. Anti-drone is merely the latest to be added. Oh and we need them now they won’t wait forever.
The simplest anti-drone measure is to slot the tosser operating it and anyone in close proximity; that does require covert patrolling – chance for the RAFR to refresh their skills and do what they are paid to do.
For the hard of thinking they don’t have the level of sophistication that the UKR have; just shoot them on the spot and save on trials and imprisonment costs.
I don’t think you can go around shooting people for using drones near military bases.. that would be a we bit to much and would be a bot counter productive when the 14 year old who did not even know the base existed gets shot.
It’s also illegal under card A unless you suspect an immediate threat to life. So – suspect it’s an FPV drone with a charge, lethal force is probably permitted. Just a random drone with some paint, or someone with paint – not permitted.
Law on permitted use of force does not allow lethal force to protect equipment.
Make use of those spotters.
They are invariably pro armed forces and a tight group.
I used to be one and well remember a day at Manchester airport when an El Al flight was berthed close to the favourite spotting site on the multi story car park. A small crowd of spotters were out but prevented from standing in the closest corner of the roof to the aircraft by a wpc.
There were few objections but people began to grow suspicious of one of our number. He was saying the right things but not acting normal – too excited by mundane aircraft. After the flight departed we spotted him chatting to the wpc. No doubt local SB checking us out, but he stood out a mile to us.
Those groups often know each other and will chat freely to any strangers who show up. Offer them the means to raise any suspicions with base security; use their eyes, ears and intuition.
Used to be done in the Cold War – drive up in a Land Rover with a tea urn in the back. Free tea and digestives = improved base security.
Most people in the UK are loyal and will report suspicious activity. Use them.
That said fences, patrols etc are needed.
RAF bases are a particular problem as they are huge and don’t have the number of people on them that an army or RN base has. You can’t have an engineering bod out on perimeter patrol at night and expect them to be 100% in the day doing critical stuff.
Historically RN had more perimeter security for a variety of reasons [perimeters are often smaller and probed more by criminals looking for scrap etc] and army have the sheer numbers of soldiers to rotate perimeter patrol parties.
A few cheapish drones (maybe £1,000 a pop) with EO/IR can cover a large perimeter on a pre-programmed route. We should have sourced some cheap sovereign drones by now. They may not be as good as patrolling the perimeter in some respects, but they have huge cost and speed advantages. Within a year or two you could even have an AI working out what’s anolomolous and alerting the gate guards, without needing someone to stare at the screens all the time.
True.
Problem is you can’t have them crossing either end of the runway.
There has to be a deconfliction zone when flight ops are live.
So that zone is back to semi physical barriers and fixed surveillance which can also do pattern recognition etc.
Why would you do that when you could have static CCTV and achieve the same thing at lower cost / greater redundancy and no risk of it not being able to fly?
KISS
A brilliant idea.
I was one, for a time.
To be fair, the RAF Reg Squadrons with Scorpion and some other CVRT were in BAOR, not the UK.
Rephrasing that, in BAORs area, not a part of. 2 ATAF and RAFG.
Palestinian Action targeting bases used to Train Ukrainian Pilots can someone please tell what the hell they have in common other than getting bombed ?
If this is true then we know exactly what this group really is, it’s a pro Putin anti west bunch of terrorists, they may not be using bombs but that’s the only thing that makes any sense.
It’s mostly because the old communists never quite got over the fall of the USSR, which supported Palestine back in the cold war, and now have transposed a lot of their USSR beliefs onto Putin’s Russia, even though Russia and the USSR have very little in common.
Yes it is bizarre, but does tell you something about fascism and communism..the fact that a communist state can move to a fascist state and the old communists will still support it.
the soviets were behind all those nutty anti nuclear groups in the 80s. they’re doing the same thing today. stop oil etc are also controlled by them- all to cause havoc and cost money. saboteurs need to be shot on sight and the government needs to announce immediately that they will begin shooting these idiots if caught on a military base. they’ll stop.
Yes, that is what blows their cover…..
We’ve bred treasonous ingrates. These Henry’s and Henrietta’s are Hamas’s useful idiots
It’s clear that anyone partaking in sabotage should be shot on site.
A whole array of different measures are required. Anti-drone is merely the latest to be added. Oh and we need them now they won’t wait forever.
This isn’t a serious country anymore.
Each week we see Jew hating foreign nationals protest on our streets, last week one wearing a concentration camp outfit complete with red Hamas star.
None will be deported as the lawfare legal system with allow HRA appeals.
Police , NCA and GCHQ should be able to ID these members even if they use VPN or other methods to conceal themselves.
Mass arrests on conspiracy charges are needed and additional court sessions as used last summer for the riots.
Escalation upto Lethal force should be authorised against anyone stepping over a perimeter of a military airfield.
We can’t go on being a laughing stock.
I’m not an Israeli hater, but, I’m not an ultra Jew fan. What the Israeli State run by Zionists and get out of jail free Benji are doing is committing genocide, it is abhorrent in the extreme.
Bear in mind that there are Palestinians Christians in there suffering the same treatment.
No, the Zionist State needs to be called out and there should be no aid civilian or military, no purchases allowed to that State be they civilian or military until it changes direction.
The IDF gave notice to which suburbs were going to be targeted. The fact Hamas chooses to sit amongst civilians in those areas is why there are casualties..
The same Hamas who said they want to repeat 7/10 again and again.
The same Hamas who spent tens of billions in aid on weapons..
The same Gaza where people visited on holiday.
If an enemy wanted to exterminate me, I would kill.yhat enemy..
The Hamas leadership are safely tucked up in Qatar..They could end it in a day by stating they would cease all hostility to Israel..
The Hamas figures on casualties are not feasible. The propaganda output is laughable..
If the IDF wanted.to wipe out every Palestinian it could, the fact is has not shows this is no genocide.
David they have essentially flattened the entire infrastructure that supports the lives of millions of people.. they have not discriminated. At the same time the Israeli governments support of ultra right wing settlers on the west back had no justification.
They had justification at the beginning, but they have no clear end game, no goal other than the amorphous “ destruction of Hamas” and you will not destroy Hamas by dropping more bombs on a pile of rubble.
Hamas are an evil that need dealing with, but the present actions of Israeli in the West Bank and Gaza are going to stretch the David accorded and Putins Isreal at long term existential risk.
There was a very good article in the Jerusalem post..about the very significant increase in tension with Egypt ( there has been a significant increase in militarisation of the boarder as a well as an Egypt soldier getting killed in an exchange of fire). There is significant destabilisation risk in Jordan and Israel has already sent a warning to the new Syrian government saying they will strike at Syria if there is any indication of harm to the Syrian Druze population. All in all if isreals neighbours are pushed in the wrong direction there will be even greater issues.
You used the word “Zionists” and in the last paragraph you call for Israel to be sanctioned, so you are very much anti Israel.
As for the Gaza Christians:
There are less than 600 of them left. Hamas has persecuted them and let all sorts of crimes to be committed against them with no retribution, even going as far as desecrating Christian graves because “Unbelievers don’t belong on Palestinian soil”.
Google “Christians in Gaza” You will see this abuse is well reported
This is just an observation however current day Israel was surely born out of ashes of N*zi Germany and the international law of the day which could not defend them. Clearly when surrounded by countries which hate them and could (and probably want to) crush them it is easy to see why they reacted (perhaps overreacted) the way they have done. In their minds I suspect ensuring their own self defence has become paramount. In my opinion Israel would be wise to rescue the Women and young children of palestine. I also note that Israel seemed to target genuine Iranian military targets. Let’s hope that everyone can return to peace and Iran give up their Nuclear ambition and decide on a friendly path. If Iran get nuke it is not going to end well for them.
Hope the buggers in charge are seriously manning those fences! Time for a “security audit” across all bases and ports?
More spray paint and scooters coming your way. 🤣
To deal with these scumbags, SHOOT TO KILL or very vicious alsatian dogs ,make it clear and send a message, cross the line YOU GET A ONE WAY TRIP TO THE NEXT WORLD 🌎 😉 😀
We are by nature a fair minded Nation and should set out our stall clearly, forcefully and publicly so that no one has any doubts whatsoever. It’s called Information and a Fair warning.
Blitz TV, Radio, Social Media with the truth, there are Israeli companies who have premises in this country, that’s part of the global economy. But the U.K. has no part whatsoever in the Israeli / Palestine issue and as such nor do out Military. Feel free to peacefully protest about what ever you want but be aware a line has now been drawn.
From now on if you unlawfully enter UK Government / Military establishments that will be considered as an act of Terrorism and the use of Deadly force is Authorised !
This does sound like a job for things that go woof, growl, bite
Anyone intruding should be shot on sight. No ifs buts or excuses from apologists.
RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath.
Not good, the latter especially one could literally walk right in in places, and an old Roman road runs right alongside it, that is now the B6403, up to Ancaster.
It is as open as a MoD installation could be.
A seriously soft target.
Barkston has mostly contractors involved in the EFT stage.
Cranwell, too, in places, but has more secure areas of the station away from the airfield side.
If the military cant defend their own bases then what can they defend?
We’re going to need to find some particularly harsh and significantly brutal aspect of military law or the Treason Act to employ against these activists.
These kids are too stupid to to realise they are stupid. They are spoilt children who have never encountered any sort of constraint in their lives.
We’re going need to introduce them to constraint and we may have to do that by introducing appalling life consequences to those who advocate attacking the power of the Crown.
This may be extraordinarily long prison sentences, massive fines, loss of government job, revocation of student loans, revocation of visas and deportation. The consequences of sabotage need to so terrifyingly bad that even the dumbest of vapid soy boys or posh girl socialists wouldn’t even dream of doing it.
While I agree,there is no chance in hell anything like what you describe will happen!
Don’t forget all of the people ( senior officers included ) in ‘charge’ went to the same universities basically at the same time together,
they have all been exposed to this liberal British bashing bollocks! Is it no wonder not one of them will actually make a decision that will change anything😡
The left would be wailing from the rooftops, and HMG wouod back down in the furore spread by channel 4, the Guardian, Independent, and elements of the BBC.
The PM himself defended such people once. Interesting that little titbit isn’t receiving more publicity.
The PM was a barrister, Daniele. Barristers defend whoever they are told to (the ‘cab-rank’ principle), and anyone tried in this country is entitled to a full defence under the law. That is a key component of the British culture that people on this board claim they want to defend. Its not a titbit, it’s an attempt to smear a public servant for doing a previous job to the best of their ability. Barristers have to defend people they may not like, just as doctors have to treat people regardless of how they feel about them.
As for calling for draconian treatment for Palestine Action, I fear that will backfire massively. It won’t just be the ‘left’, public opinion will quickly turn in favour of any group seen to be getting bullied by the state, especially if that group doesn’t hurt anybody or threaten to do so. We may regard them as doing the enemy’s work, but there are plenty who will not see it our way and regard it as more-or-less legitimate protest, however misguided. The solution to this problem is to trivialise such groups by starving them of notoriety, while rapidly pulling out our collective fingers to put base security at the level it should be. I grew up in an Army family in a garrison town in the 80s, and the thought of unauthorised people getting into a military base gives me the willies. The IRA were a hell of a lot scarier than Palestine Action.
Clueless virtue signallers.
They should be made to live for 6 months on the roughest of council estates, it will teach them that human nature is the real problem. maybe then they will understand why we need tough laws and strong armed forces.
Secondly, make them take a long good look at middle-east / Islamic history and how the world came to have 57 Muslim majority countries
and why there are barely any Jewish people left in North Africa and the middle-east outside of Israel (systematic persecution).
Palestine Action has raised £130,000 to fund a legal fight with the government.
I also note some stupid memes on social media “I painted something red, therefore I am a terrorist”.
People forget vandalism of property is still a crime, vandalism of military equipment is sabotage, and should be punished as treason.
The excuse is they are preventing “Genocide”, not only is this untrue (No RAF involvement) but that word is being grossly misused.