The U.S. Air Force responded to “suspected unauthorized drone activity” over RAF Lakenheath, America’s master fighter base in England, the Air Force has confirmed to TWZ. The confirmation was in response to our questions about social media reports of drone activity over several U.S. bases in England. On Nov. 9, we were the first to report that security levels had been raised at U.S. bases in England.
“This evening, USAF Security Forces personnel responded to suspected unauthorized drone activity over RAF Lakenheath,” an Air Force official told us. “No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected.”
“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the official added. “Protecting our shared community is a joint responsibility, and we encourage everyone to support this effort by reporting any unusual or suspicious activity to local authorities.”
Earlier, the @defencegeek open-source intelligence X account stated that there were alarms going off at RAF Lakenheath, as well as RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. He posted video purporting to show the sound of sirens near RAF Mildenhall.
As we have previously reported, there has been an unusual exodus of KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jets from RAF Mildenhall, among other aircraft movements, which began on Monday. The repositioning of aircraft came as security levels at the three bases that host U.S. military aircraft in England raised their alert levels. This was due to threats from Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal. TWZ was the first to report that Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath were operating under enhanced security measures.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE 3:59 PM EST –
Air Force officials declined to say who may have been operating the drones or whether security levels had been raised. We previously noted that security at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath was raised to Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie due to an unspecified threat from Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. FPCON Charlie, the second-highest security level for U.S. military installations, applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely. FPCON Delta is the highest security level and applies in the immediate area where a terrorist attack has occurred or when intelligence has been received that terrorist action against a specific location or person is imminent.
Before the Air Force issued its response, a member of the British Parliament stated there was no threat to the public.
“Following the speculation about the alarm at RAF Lakenheath, I have been in touch with the authorities at the base,” Nick Timothy announced on Facebook. “I am told there is no threat to the public, and the incident is now resolved.”
“Given the raised threat level, I continue to encourage everyone to report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to the authorities,” he added. “And I also encourage the Ministry of Defense and US Air Force to communicate as freely as operational security constraints allow them.”
UPDATE: 5:05 PM EST –
The British Defense Ministry responded to our query.
“We are coordinating with all relevant parties regarding reports of unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath this evening,” an official told us. “USAF Security Forces personnel responded to the reports and the situation is now resolved. We are working closely with them to establish the facts. We will provide updates in due course.”
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
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