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Major UK city faces 'mini-Pearl Harbor' as low-flying kamikaze drone threat exposed

A warning has been sounded that Iranian-style drones fired from a shadow trawler could deliver a 'mini Pearl Harbor' strike on a UK naval base

[A major UK city could be left completely defenceless against a 'mini-Pearl Harbor' drone attack (file image)]

A major UK city could be left completely defenceless against a 'mini-Pearl Harbor' drone attack (file image)(Image: Getty)

A major UK city could be left completely defenceless against a "mini-Pearl Harbor" drone attack launched from a rogue shipping vessel, a former defence minister has warned. Tobias Ellwood sounded the alarm over a terrifying security loophole, warning that Iranian-style kamikaze drones could easily be smuggled into British waters to wipe out the nation's main naval hub in Portsmouth.

The terrifying scenario would involve Iranian-manufactured Shahed drones being unleashed from a "shadow trawler" lurking just off the British coast. Because the low-flying weapons would bypass current detection systems, the UK would be left like sitting ducks.

Mr Ellwood told Express.co.uk: "We have no air defence there. You could easily see Shahed drones - the Iranian-style ones that have already hit Akrotiri - being launched off a shadow trawler on the other side of the Isle of Wight, using GPS to glide straight in."

[Tobias Ellwood reckons Iranian-style kamikaze drones could be used to wipe out Portsmouth's naval hub]

Tobias Ellwood reckons Iranian-style kamikaze drones could be used to wipe out Portsmouth's naval hub(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Explaining just how easily a hostile state could execute the devastating blitz, he added: "They come in racks of five, and they are small enough to fit inside a standard shipping container.

"You could easily sail a trawler from international waters...fire these things, and we wouldn't react in time because they would be flying low. They could smack straight into our ships in Portsmouth. Boom - that is our own mini Pearl Harbor."

Russia has heavily relied on Iranian combat drones to terrorise Ukraine, and Mr Ellwood fears Moscow could be the puppet master behind a highly deniable, proxy strike right on the UK's doorstep.

[The terrifying scenario would involve IShahed drones being unleashed from a 'shadow trawler']

The terrifying scenario would involve IShahed drones being unleashed from a 'shadow trawler'(Image: Getty)

The ultimate goal of such an attack would be to shatter British resolve, spark mass panic, and force the government to abandon its allies abroad.

Mr Ellwood said: "What they would do is try to persuade the British people that we should have nothing to do with Ukraine, that we should pull out, give it to Russia, and life will be quieter."

He warned that Vladimir Putin's regime wants to brew "political discord" and weaponise public fear to upend British democracy.

He outlined objectives including fostering "political discord" and capitalising on divisions, claiming Russia is "hoping to help figures like Nigel Farage get into power because they see that the mainstream parties aren't strong enough."

Alarmingly, the defence expert claims the UK is currently in the ultimate danger zone, as Russia knows British defences are lagging behind fast-moving modern technology.

Mr Ellwood argued Russia would attack now "because the longer they wait, the more time we have to develop the capabilities to defend ourselves." He added: "Right now, we are particularly vulnerable, so it makes sense for them to hit us early."

Blaming a sluggish bureaucratic system for leaving the nation exposed to high-tech threats, he said: "Our procurement process takes months, if not years...By that time, the technology has already moved on."

Worse still, he claimed while top brass are fully aware of the looming catastrophe, a lack of public pressure means the government is failing to act before it's too late.

Mr Ellwood observed that military figures discuss these dangers. He said: "Senior politicians and ministers are briefed on this, but because there's no public clamour for defence spending, it creates a fundamental challenge."

The chilling warnings are laid bare in Mr Ellwood's new book, Ten Steps to Prevent World War 3.

The 2026 release lifts the lid on terrifying new "grey-zone" tactics and warns that a complacent West is blindly drifting into a catastrophic global conflict unless it urgently rebuilds its military might.

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