UK deploys Rapid Sentry anti-drone system to Kuwait to fend off attacks, air force says | Euronews

## Summary
By&nbsp Gavin Blackburn Published on 03/04/2026 - 14:08 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Gulf countries including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been pulled into the Iran war, targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation to attacks launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February. The UK has deployed a counter-drone system known as Rapid Sentry to Kuwait, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned on Friday a "reckless" overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery. Gulf countries including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been pulled into the Iran war, targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation to attacks launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Read more French ship crosses Strait of Hormuz in first Western European transit during Iran war Tehran fires at Israel as Trump warns US has not started 'destroying what is left' in Iran Italy clings to coal-powered plants as EU countries shield from Iran war with renewables Keir Starmer United Kingdom Iran war United States Persian Gulf Kuwait

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Gavin Blackburn
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03/04/2026 - 14:08 GMT+2
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Gulf countries including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been pulled into the Iran war, targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation to attacks launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February.
The UK has deployed a counter-drone system known as Rapid Sentry to Kuwait, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned on Friday a "reckless" overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery.
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"The RAF Regiment has deployed its highly effective Rapid Sentry counter-drone system to Kuwait," Britain's Royal Air Force announced.
It is a ground-based air defence system which UK Defence Secretary John Healey said was "battle-tested" last week, when the deployment plan was first announced.
"The prime minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery," Downing Street said in a summary of Starmer's call with Kuwait's crown prince.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at Downing Street in London, 1 April, 2026
AP Photo
"They discussed the deployment of the UK's Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait, which will protect Kuwaiti and British personnel and interests in the region, while avoiding escalation into wider conflict," the Downing Street statement added.
Gulf countries including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been pulled into the Iran war, targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation to attacks launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February.
Tehran claims it is only targeting US military assets across the Gulf but many of those strikes have hit civilian infrastructure like energy installations and hotels.
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French ship crosses Strait of Hormuz in first Western European transit during Iran war
Tehran fires at Israel as Trump warns US has not started 'destroying what is left' in Iran
Italy clings to coal-powered plants as EU countries shield from Iran war with renewables
Keir Starmer
United Kingdom
Iran war
United States
Persian Gulf
Kuwait

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT "The RAF Regiment has deployed its highly effective Rapid Sentry counter-drone system to Kuwait," Britain's Royal Air Force announced.

### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at Downing Street in London, 1 April, 2026 AP Photo "They discussed the deployment of the UK's Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait, which will protect Kuwaiti and British personnel and interests in the region, while avoiding escalation into wider conflict," the Downing Street statement added.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers kuwait, united, iran topics. Notable strengths include discussion of kuwait. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 348.