The damaged Voyagers and Britain's strikes on Yemen
Flight records place both Voyagers damaged in June 2025 at Akrotiri during UK strikes on Yemen in 2024. Declassified UK and the government give different reasons for the strikes.
Key points
- ZZ343 was at Akrotiri for three of the four UK strikes on Houthi targets in January and February 2024. ZZ338 was there for two.
- On 24 February 2024, one of the two tankers reported was ZZ343, one of the planes damaged in June 2025. The other was ZZ330.
- Neither damaged Voyager was at Akrotiri when Typhoons were refuelled for the 29 April 2025 strike in Yemen.
- Declassified UK argues the strikes were partly intended to shield Israel. The government says they protected shipping in the Red Sea.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that the two Voyagers damaged in the protest at RAF Brize Norton were ZZ338 and ZZ343. Flight-tracking data places ZZ343 at Akrotiri for three of the four UK strikes on Houthi targets in early 2024, and ZZ338 for two.
#Which Voyagers were at Akrotiri for the 2024 strikes?
The UK struck Houthi targets in Yemen on 11 to 12 January, 22 January, 3 February and 24 February 2024. According to flight-tracking data, one or both of the damaged planes flew to Akrotiri the day before each strike, flew a sortie from the base with its route hidden on the day, and then returned to Brize Norton.
| Strike date (2024) | ZZ338 | ZZ343 |
|---|---|---|
| 11 to 12 January | At Akrotiri | Not reported |
| 22 January | Not reported | At Akrotiri |
| 3 February | At Akrotiri | At Akrotiri |
| 24 February | Not reported | At Akrotiri, flying a sortie with its route hidden |
Sources: flight-tracking data (Flightradar24); MoD statement via Declassified UK.
#What happened on 24 February 2024?
Reporting on the 24 February strike says it involved four Typhoon jets supported by two Voyager tankers. Flight-tracking data shows exactly two Voyagers at Akrotiri that day. One was ZZ343, one of the planes damaged in June 2025. The other was ZZ330, which arrived from Brize Norton and was not one of the damaged planes. So ZZ343 fits one of the two tankers in that account, but not both.
#Why did the UK strike Yemen?
The two explanations on record are different. The government's stated reason was to protect shipping in the Red Sea. Declassified UK argues the strikes were "conducted in no small part to shield Israel", because the Houthis' attacks on shipping were a response to the war on Gaza. The flight records cannot show the purpose of each mission.
#What about the strike of 29 April 2025?
On 29 April 2025, RAF Typhoons joined a US strike on a Houthi drone factory about 15 miles south of Sanaa. The MoD confirmed the jets were refuelled in flight by Voyager tankers, and that the strike was carried out after dark. Flight-tracking data shows Voyager ZZ333 leaving Akrotiri at 19:03 that evening and landing at 01:03. ZZ331 and ZZ333 flew repeated sorties from Akrotiri between 26 April and 2 May.
Neither damaged plane was at Akrotiri that week, so they were not the planes in the April 2025 strike. Other Voyagers flying from Akrotiri were refuelling British jets on airstrikes in the region seven weeks before the protest.
#What did the MoD say about ZZ343?
The MoD told Declassified UK that ZZ343 was undergoing routine maintenance and was not in regular service at the time of the protest. Flight tracking shows the plane had flown operations from Akrotiri for most of the previous four weeks, including through the start of the Israel–Iran war on 13 June 2025. It landed at Brize Norton at 13:57 on 19 June, hours before the protest.
Maintenance may have begun as soon as the plane landed. But the flight record sits uneasily with the MoD's statement, and the MoD has not explained it.
#What the records show
The flight records track the Voyagers' movements between Brize Norton and Akrotiri. What the tankers supported once airborne, and whether the same planes flew the Yemen strikes and other tasks, is not recorded here. The flight records for ZZ338 and ZZ343 give the detail for each plane.
The claim that Voyagers refuelled Israeli fighter jets is contested, and the explainer on whether RAF Voyagers could refuel Israeli jets explains why.
Questions and answers
Were the damaged Voyagers at Akrotiri during the Yemen strikes?
Yes, at different times. ZZ343 was there for the strikes on 22 January, 3 February and 24 February 2024, and ZZ338 for those on 11 to 12 January and 3 February.
Were the damaged Voyagers involved in the 29 April 2025 strike on Yemen?
No. Tracking data shows neither damaged plane was at Akrotiri that week, although the MoD says Voyagers refuelled the RAF Typhoons in flight.
Why did the UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024?
The government says the strikes protected Red Sea shipping. Declassified UK argues the Houthis' attacks on shipping were a response to the war on Gaza, and that the strikes were partly meant to shield Israel.
