HMS Tyne and Navy helicopters track Russian spy ship off Scotland as RAF Protector drone flies first UK missions

2nd November 2026

Updated 2 Nov 2026, 21:06 · First published 2 Nov 2026

The Royal Navy shadowed a Russian spy ship off the west coast of Scotland as it watched a major NATO exercise, and used the RAF’s new Protector drone over UK skies for the first time to track Russian warships in the English Channel.

⚓ The key facts
🛰️ Spy ship: Viktor Leonov, tracked 29 September to 8 October
📍 Off the Outer Hebrides, during NATO exercise Strike Warrior
🚁 Royal Navy Merlin helicopters flew from Prestwick to follow it
✈️ RAF Protector drone flew its first UK operational missions
📈 Royal Navy tracking of Russian ships up 25% this year

What was the Russian spy ship doing off Scotland?

The Viktor Leonov is an intelligence-gathering ship. It spent more than a week near the Outer Hebrides while more than 2,000 personnel from six NATO countries took part in Exercise Strike Warrior. Four Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopters and about 90 personnel from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall were moved to Glasgow Prestwick Airport to keep watch on it.

Captain James Hall, commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, said the deployment showed “the UK is prepared to respond to immediate operational requirements”.

What is the Protector drone?

Protector RG1 is the RAF’s new long-range drone, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. It can stay in the air for more than 40 hours and is certified to fly alongside other aircraft in civilian airspace. In October it flew its first operational missions in UK airspace, providing more than ten hours of surveillance over the English Channel.

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Which other Russian ships were tracked?

Neustrashimy, a Russian frigate, was followed by HMS Dauntless and HMS Tyne from 1 to 14 October while it escorted sanctioned ships through the Channel.
Aleksandr Shabalin, a landing ship, was intercepted by HMS Tyne between 11 and 14 October as it escorted a cargo ship towards the Baltic.

Is Russian activity around the UK increasing?

Yes. The Royal Navy’s monitoring of Russian movements rose by 25% in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. In the 2025–26 financial year, Navy ships were sent out 116 times to monitor 61 Russian warships and 28 merchant vessels.

Sources: Navy Lookout, UNITED24 Media, The Telegraph. Photo: HMS Tyne, Tim Green / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

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