RAF St Mawgan is taking part in a training exercise to rigorously test its ability to help protect the United Kingdom amid the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

The Royal Air Force has launched the two-week exercise Premier Homeland Defence Exercise Agile Warrior 26, which will involve air and ground units across multiple RAF stations training under contested, degraded and operationally limited conditions, simulating the effects of cyber-attacks, long-range precision strike threats, and persistent attempts to disrupt UK air operations.

Participating forces will practise rapid dispersal, improvised command-and-control arrangements, base defence, sustainment and recovery activities, ensuring the RAF could continue operating even when under sustained pressure from adversary activity.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, highlighted the importance of strengthening homeland defence readiness following incursions into “our sovereign” waters. The Royal Navy is actively monitoring a 30 per cent increase in Russian vessel activity near UK waters. The UK's RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus was also targeted in a suspected Iranian drone attack.

Residents near RAF St Mawgan have been told to brace themselves for activity being ramped up around the airbase during Agile Warrier 26.

A spokesperson for RAF St Mawgan said: “Exercise Agile Warrior 26, the RAF's long-planned major homeland defence training activity is being staged.

“As a result, people may start to see a change in activity levels at RAF St Mawgan during this time, but please be assured that this is in direct support to Exercise Agile Warrior.”

Exercise Agile Warrior 26 will provide essential preparation ahead of NATO’s flagship Exercise; Steadfast Defender 27, where full-scale alliance warfighting plans will be tested.

All personnel from across the RAF, along with key partners including the UK Space Command will be involved.

A RAF spokesperson said: “The exercise is designed to rigorously test the RAF’s ability to protect the United Kingdom in an increasingly contested and volatile global security environment and forms a critical step to ensuring the RAF remains ready to “fight tonight” in defence of the nation.

“Agile Warrior 26 will allow the RAF to evaluate and, if necessary, enhance front line capabilities through dispersed, resilient and agile airbase operations.

“Essentially, the exercise is intended to test the RAF’s ongoing ability to defend the UK when under direct attack from an adversary, ensuring the RAF can continue protecting the country no matter what challenges it faces.”

Sir Harv Smyth emphasised that Exercise Agile Warrior 26 is an opportunity for the entire force, military, civilian and partners to strengthen readiness, practise leadership in uncertainty, challenge bureaucracy and reinforce the warfighting ethos required in today’s threat environment.

He said: “Here at home, we are seeing regular incursions into our sovereign waters and air space by hostile agents that don’t play by our rules.

“We see regular examples of espionage and sabotage that seek to affect our economy, undermine our democracy, and disrupt our very way of life. It’s through this lens, protecting our homeland, that we prepare for Exercise Agile Warrior what we do, and how we do it, really matters.”