British troops shot down more than a dozen Iranian kamikaze drones in an overnight attack on an allied base in northern Iraq.
RAF Regiment gunners based in Erbil used the Rapid Sentry ground-based missile system to destroy 14 one-way attack aircraft as they swarmed the base, The Telegraph can reveal.
The figure represented the largest number of drones shot down by British forces in a single night since the Iran war began almost four weeks ago, a defence source said.
British intelligence sources have claimed Iran has stepped up the rate at which it launches missiles and drones across the Gulf, despite a reduction in attacks in recent days.
It is understood there were no British casualties in the latest attack on the air base at Erbil, where SAS soldiers have previously operated.
Last week, the military outpost came under repeated assault from drones, injuring US personnel stationed there. Italian troops have already withdrawn from the base.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, is considering sending paratroopers to Iran despite insisting Washington is in talks with Tehran to end the war.
On Monday, the US president said he would postpone strikes on the regime’s energy sites for five days during the negotiations, which Iran denies are happening.