The Papers: 'Mystery drones over UK' and 'Troops heading to Poland for war games'
The Daily Telegraph leads with reports that RAF jets had two close encounters with unidentified drones earlier this year.
By BBC News
RAF jets had close encounters with two unidentified drones over the North Sea earlier this year, according to reports highlighted by the Daily Telegraph.
The incidents happened just days apart during military training exercises. One involved simulated air combat, while the other took place during an air-to-air refuelling exercise.
The Telegraph reported that one of the objects was spotted at 17,000ft, more than 40 times the legal height limit for commercial drones.
Incident logs seen by the newspaper indicated that the RAF reported both sightings to police. Multiple external investigations are understood to be ongoing.
The reports did not establish whether the objects were hostile. The Ministry of Defence said it remained vigilant when assessing potential drone activity, adding that measures were available to respond if activity was judged to pose a credible threat.
The drone reports were one of the main stories featured in the day’s newspaper coverage.
The Times also reported that hundreds of British troops would travel to Poland next month for a military exercise. The training is intended to simulate the deployment of forces to Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed.
French and German personnel are expected to take part alongside British and Polish forces.