US Air Force Responds to Suspected Drone Activity Over RAF Lakenheath

United States Air Force security forces responded to suspected unauthorised drone activity over RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Friday evening, sounding an alarm that told personnel to shelter in place at the largest American fighter base in Britain.

The United States Air Force in Europe said no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected. Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the situation had been resolved and that it was working with its American counterparts to establish the facts.

The alarm sounded at about 6.30pm local time, according to reports from the area, and residents in a nearby village said they heard sirens. The number and type of drones involved have not been disclosed.

What happened on Friday evening

A spokesperson for the United States Air Force in Europe said: “This evening, USAF Security Forces personnel responded to suspected unauthorised drone activity over RAF Lakenheath. No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected.”

A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said: “We are coordinating with all relevant parties regarding reports of unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath this evening. USAF Security Forces personnel responded to the reports and the situation is now resolved.”

The local MP, Nick Timothy, said he had been told the incident was over and there was no threat to the public.

Reuters reported the response on Friday evening, citing a US Air Force spokesperson. The Aviationist reported that videos shared online appeared to show an alarm sounding at the base in the evening, with personnel told to shelter in place.

Unconfirmed reports circulating online suggested that RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell had been placed on Force Protection Condition Delta, the highest level of the US military’s force protection scale. That has not been confirmed by officials, and reports of sirens at Mildenhall and Feltwell were not independently confirmed.

A base already on heightened alert

The incident came after several days of increased security around two major US Air Force installations in Britain. On Monday 9 November, a US official confirmed that enhanced protection measures were in effect at both Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the earlier measures followed an unspecified threat from Iran. The United States has in recent weeks moved bombers that had been used to strike Iran out of Britain, and relocated large refuelling aircraft from Britain to Germany.

Emergency restrictions on drone flying had already been introduced around all three bases before Friday’s reports. Separate regulations for Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell were made at 5.40pm on 9 November and took effect immediately, prohibiting unauthorised unmanned aircraft from flying below 1,200 feet above mean sea level within five nautical miles of each installation.

The third incident in recent weeks

Friday’s alert was the third security incident at a United States base in Britain in recent weeks. Two men were charged last month in connection with the alleged plot to target RAF Fairford, with prosecutors alleging one of them had tried to assist Iranian intelligence in Britain. The bombers that had been based at Fairford left on security grounds after a group of men approached the base in white vans in the middle of the night.

Separately, the withdrawal of tanker aircraft from RAF Mildenhall saw 12 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft moved out of the base earlier in the week, as the United States repositioned its refuelling fleet.

Officials have not said whether Friday’s suspected drone activity is connected to either earlier incident, and no arrests or suspects have been announced.

Why Lakenheath matters

RAF Lakenheath, in Suffolk, hosts the United States Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, which operates the F-15E Strike Eagle and the F-35A Lightning II. It is the largest US fighter base in Britain and a central part of the American military presence in Europe.

The installation is one of the principal US Air Force bases in Europe, and its security has drawn close attention in recent weeks as tensions involving Iran have risen.

For now, officials on both sides of the Atlantic are treating Friday’s incident as resolved, while the investigation into what flew over the base — and who sent it — continues.