Britain’s Ministry of Defence is investigating reports of unauthorized drone activity over RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, a base used by the United States Air Force. The reports were made in the evening, and US military personnel responsible for securing the facility responded to them.
“We are coordinating our actions with all relevant parties following reports of unauthorized drone activity over RAF Lakenheath this evening. United States Air Force security personnel responded to the reports, and the situation has since been resolved. We are working closely with them to establish the facts,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said, as quoted by Sky News.
It has not yet been confirmed how many drones were spotted, who was operating them, or whether they entered the restricted airspace over the base. No injured service personnel, damaged aircraft, or infrastructure damage have been reported either. The US military command said it was taking all necessary measures to ensure the security of the facility, aircraft, and personnel.
RAF Lakenheath is one of the main US military bases in the United Kingdom and is home to the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing. The incident is being investigated against the backdrop of heightened security measures around US military facilities in the country. Several days earlier, the United States moved more than ten aircraft from nearby RAF Mildenhall because of a separate threat, the Associated Press reported.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has not indicated any connection between the two cases. What has been confirmed so far is that RAF Lakenheath security responded to the reports, the incident ended without any reported damage, and the investigation into the origin and nature of the aerial activity is continuing.
Sources: apnews.com, theguardian.com