Unidentified drones have been spotted flying over four bases used by the United States Air Force in Britain, prompting the British government to call in military staff to help protect the sites.
The U.S. Air Force said in a statement that “small unmanned aerial systems continue to be spotted in the vicinity of and over” four air bases in England since Nov. 20. It named the bases as R.A.F. Lakenheath and R.A.F. Mildenhall, both of which are in Suffolk; R.A.F. Feltwell in neighboring Norfolk; and R.A.F. Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“To date, installation leaders have determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities or assets,” the statement added. “The Air Force is taking all appropriate measures to safeguard the aforementioned installations and their residents.”
Asked about the drones in a news briefing on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that they were being actively monitored. “The bottom line is it’s something that we’re going to take seriously,” he added. “We’re continuing to look into it, but as of right now has not had any significant mission impact.”
A spokesman for Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said that the country’s “armed forces personnel are working closely with the Ministry of Defense police who are currently leading the U.K. investigation.”
Britain was also working closely with the United States on the issue and the British government maintained “robust measures at defense sites which include counter drone security capabilities,” he added. Dozens of British military personnel were involved in the operation, according to one British official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a security question.
The British Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defense sites. We are supporting the U.S. Air Force response.”
Britain’s air force says it uses a capability known as the ORCUS Counter-Uncrewed Air System, to detect, track, identify and, if necessary, attack hostile drones, to protect key infrastructure including air bases around the country.
Neither the American nor the British governments have so far said who might be behind the incidents, or speculated on a motive. General Ryder said that the Pentagon had not excluded the possibility that the drones were operated by hobbyists.
Drones have caused significant disruption in Britain before at nonmilitary sights. In 2018 a drone sighting led to London’s Gatwick Airport being closed for more than a day. A similar incident caused more limited disruption at the passenger hub in May last year.
But the latest development comes at a time of rising international tension, in particular over the conflict in Ukraine, and as relations deteriorate between Moscow and London, which has been one of the most vocal supporters of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has recently hit targets inside Russia using intermediate-range missiles supplied both by the U.S. and by Britain — which has provided its Storm Shadow system. This week, the Russian government expelled a British diplomat and added some politicians to a travel ban list.
“The U.K. has a special place in the Kremlin’s worldview as Russia’s most subtle and ingenious adversary,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank. He noted that Russian TV frequently singles out Britain for “dire consequences” over its support of Ukraine.
“Relations have deteriorated further in recent days,” he added. “Britain has authorized the use of Storm Shadow missiles in Russia and stepped up its sanctions on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers. Russia has expelled another diplomat from the British Embassy and sanctioned several government ministers.”
In October Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, Britain’s domestic security service, said that Russian intelligence agents are on a mission “to generate mayhem on British and European streets,” and accused Russia’s military intelligence agency, the G.R.U., of “dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness,” including cases of “arson, sabotage and more.”
Mr. McCallum also cited other state actors, including Iran and China as potential threats to Britain, however.
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