The case
What happened at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June 2025?
Two people entered RAF Brize Norton in the early hours of 20 June 2025 and damaged two Voyager tanker planes. Six people face trial at Woolwich Crown Court from 25 January 2027.
The Brize Norton 6 · Trial due 25 January 2027 (Woolwich Crown Court)
Six people face up to 14 years in prison under the law that replaced the Official Secrets Act. The two planes at the centre of the case belong to a private company, and the Ministry of Defence cannot say what the damage cost.
Every claim on this site links to its source. New to the case? Start with the explainer, or follow it month by month.
The case in numbers
- on remand by the trial for five of the six, held since summer 2025 with no conviction
- ~18 months
- damage claimed. The MoD cannot substantiate it
- £1.7m–£15m
- for both planes to return to service, per AirTanker's CEO
- 21 days
- RAF surveillance flights over Gaza from Akrotiri
- ~590
- Israeli Air Force planes known to have used UK territory
- 18+
- Voyager PFI deal that 'has not secured value for money'
- £10.5bn
Latest investigations
UK–Israel military links
The weeks before Brize Norton: what Britain's military planes were doing in May and June 2025
UK–Israel military links
Where had the two damaged Voyagers been? The flight records of ZZ338 and ZZ343
UK–Israel military links
The damaged Voyagers and Britain's strikes on Yemen
- Israeli Air Force aircraftIncluding Re'em refuelling planesAt least 9 landed at Brize Norton, Sep 2024 – Jun 2025; the last 11 days before the protest (Declassified UK; Drop Site News)
- RAF Brize Norton, OxfordshireHome of the Voyager tanker fleet421 Voyager flights to and from Akrotiri, Oct 2023 – Jun 2025 (flight tracking)
- RAF Akrotiri, CyprusUK hub for Middle East operations~590 RAF Shadow R1 surveillance flights over Gaza; 32 RAF flights to Israel in 7 weeks (AOAV; flight tracking; MoD)
- GazaGovernment says the flights were 'solely to locate hostages'
Source: See 'From Brize Norton to Gaza: the chain of support' for every source
Show the data
| Step | Detail | Link to next |
|---|---|---|
| Israeli Air Force aircraft | Including Re'em refuelling planes | At least 9 landed at Brize Norton, Sep 2024 – Jun 2025; the last 11 days before the protest |
| RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire | Home of the Voyager tanker fleet | 421 Voyager flights to and from Akrotiri, Oct 2023 – Jun 2025 |
| RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus | UK hub for Middle East operations | ~590 RAF Shadow R1 surveillance flights over Gaza; 32 RAF flights to Israel in 7 weeks |
| Gaza | Government says the flights were 'solely to locate hostages' |
The bases
All base profiles →RAF Akrotiri
Britain's main base for Middle East operations, in a Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus: the base for around 590 RAF surveillance flights over Gaza.
RAF Brize Norton
The UK's largest RAF station and home of the Voyager tanker fleet; the site of the June 2025 protest at the centre of the Brize Norton 6 case.
RAF Fairford
A Gloucestershire base used by the US Air Force, at the centre of two landmark protest cases: R v Jones (2003) and the 2026 National Security Act charges.
More investigations
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AirTanker & PFI
Back in the air within 21 days: AirTanker's chief executive on the Brize Norton repairs
AirTanker's chief executive says both damaged Voyagers were recovered in under 21 days. Flight data shows one of them flying again 22 days after the protest, with the core fleet already stretched.
AirTanker & PFI
No boom and no ownership: why the RAF's Voyager fleet leaves Britain dependent on the US
As far as the research shows, RAF Voyagers cannot refuel with a boom, and AirTanker, not the MoD, owns them. A King's College London report says the RAF depends on the US Air Force for wider capacity.
UK–Israel military links
How Britain's military is tied to Israel's: F-35 parts, trainer jets and Elbit
Parts repaired at MOD Sealand go into a shared pool that supplies Israel's F-35s, and F-35 parts were exempt from a 2024 licence suspension. RAF trainers are owned by a venture that includes Elbit.
The law
What is a 'terrorist connection'? How it can add years to a sentence without a terrorism conviction
A judge can find a 'terrorist connection' at sentencing, without the jury deciding it. In Filton it lengthened sentences for criminal damage, and the prosecution has alleged one in Brize Norton.
Political links
Robert Courts: Brize Norton's former MP and his Conservative Friends of Israel trip
Robert Courts, MP for the seat that includes RAF Brize Norton and later Solicitor General, took a 2020 trip to Israel paid for by Conservative Friends of Israel. It was declared and broke no rules.
Political links
Richard Hermer: the Attorney General whose consent the charges required, and his Israel record
Richard Hermer became Attorney General in July 2024, and the Brize Norton charges needed personal consent from a law officer. His public statements and official actions on Israel are collected here.
Explainer
New to the story?
The key facts behind the case, in plain questions and answers.