The dramatic incursion into RAF Brize Norton by activists from the Palestine Action group, which took place in the small hours of morning of 20 June, has raised questions about the security of UK military installations and the wider national mission of the activist group in the UK.
First reported by the BBC and subsequently corroborated by Army Technology, the incident saw two activists gain access into the largest airbase in the UK and a key logistics node for military operations around the world.
Palestine Action claims that, after gaining entry via undisclosed methods, two of its activists used electric scooters to move towards two Voyager transport aircraft which were then daubed with red paint and further damaged using crowbars.
Both UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) police and officers from the local Thames Valley Police (TVP) were investigating the incident, which will likely be led by TVP due to the criminal damage caused.
Analysis of video obtained by Army Technology of the incident shows two individuals approaching an RAF Voyager aircraft at night. One of the individuals sprays red paint into the starboard engine exhaust.
The two individuals are then seen roaming around RAF Brize Norton on electric scooters, with no apparent indication of alarm or reaction from base personnel.
Citing cause, the group claims that UK military sites, including RAF Brize Norton, have been used to assist Israeli operations against in and over the Gaza Strip. Israel’s operations against the Hamas-led Gaza authorities began in 2023 in response to a bloody incursion that caused the death of more than 1,200 Israeli citizens, with hundreds taken hostage.
Since 2023, Gaza’s authorities have claimed tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by air strikes and ground combat operations by the Israeli Defence Forces throughout the territory.
A Palestine Action spokesperson stated: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets. Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.
“By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.”
The UK had previously stated that it had deployed P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft and “other surveillance assets” to improve its situational awareness in the region. It is understood that flights were focussed on providing assistance in Israel’s efforts to recover hostages taken by Hamas fighters during the 2023 incursion.
Indeed, a parliamentary written response on 19 June issued prior to the Brize Norton incident from UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard stated the UK MoD had been conducting unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza “for the sole purpose of locating hostages”.
Voyager aircraft are commonly used to refuel UK fighters such as the Typhoon on operations, with both asset types commonly operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, a key UK airbase in the eastern Mediterranean region.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets. We are working closely with the police who are investigating.”
UK military aircraft also distributed aid by airdrop in late-2023, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened.
UK defence ties with Israel the crux of the issue
The UK is a formal ally of Israel, with the two sides sharing extensive diplomatic, military, and economic ties. Israel’s military industrial complex provides the UK with specific capabilities, particularly in military training and simulation area, but also in hardware, such as the Trophy active protection systems due to be installed on the future Challenger 3 main battle tanks.
However, significant attention, both inside parliament and outside, is being given to how the UK assists the operational running of Israeli forces. The UK is a Tier 1 partner and supplier to the US-led, but multinational, F-35 stealth fighter programme.
Repeated questions raised by UK parliamentarians have inquired about the role the UK plays in sustaining Israeli F-35s, which have been used extensively in operations over Gaza.
Querying the UK Defence Secretary John Healey on 5 June as to whether there were contractual requirements that would prevent the UK from withdrawing from the F-35 global spare parts pool, UK Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle replied on 16 June that the F-35 programme was “highly integrated”.
Were the UK to withdraw from the F-35 global spares pool, it would “effectively be withdrawing from the F-35 programme meaning that the UK would not be able to operate its F-35 fleet of aircraft”, Eagle stated.
The UK is an operator of the F-35B variant of the stealth fighter, and has been strongly linked with the acquisition of conventional take-off F-35A jets.
The UK government provides a military training to a handful of Israeli military personnel and non-lethal military equipment, the UK government said in June.
Palestine Action has targeted a number of Israeli or Israel-linked defence firms through 2023-2025, primarily those it claims to be working with Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.
The group has also recently targeted US military transport aircraft in transit at Ireland’s Shannon Airport.
