After unmanned aerial vehicles were observed hovering over three air sites in England, mystery drones were observed following a British aircraft carrier at sea.
As the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in the port of Hamburg, Germany, on Friday, an unidentified 1.5 x 1.5 meter drone seemed to follow it.
According to the German tabloid Bild, the German military set up troops around the port and tried to use HP-47 jammers to attack the drone before it took off.
The US Air Force (USAF) also revealed on Saturday that “small unmanned aerial systems” flew over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, as well as RAF Feltwell in Norfolk last week.
USAF, which uses the bases, said the size and number of drones overhead had fluctuated.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it would not comment on security procedures.
While it is unclear whether the drones were hostile, the incidents occurred during a week that saw significant escalation of hostilities between the West and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv’s forces struck targets inside Russia with US and British-supplied long-range missiles for the first time.
In response, Russia tested a newly developed mid-range hypersonic ballistic missile in a strike on Dnipro, Ukraine – the strongest missile believed to have been used in the war so far.
The Kremlin called the strike a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any “reckless” actions by Ukraine’s allies, while Vladimir Putin proclaimed the right to strike nations that allow their weapons to be used against Russia.
In response to the drone sightings this week, the USAF said it had the “the right to protect” bases in England from threats. It did not comment on whether defence mechanisms were used to target the drones.
“To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation,” it said.
“We continue to monitor our airspace and are working with host nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets,” it added.
RAF Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, including F-35A and F-15E fighter jets. RAF Mildenhall hosts the USAF’s 100th Air Refuelling Wing which conducts combat support operations throughout Europe and Africa. RAF Feltwell provides housing and other services for military personnel.
An MoD spokesman said: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites. This includes counter drone security capabilities.
“We won’t comment further on security procedures.”
British soldiers were warned in 2023 that spies could be flying reconnaissance drones over UK military bases.
The Field Army Threat Handbook, published in October 2023, details the tactics, techniques and procedures favoured by hostile foreign intelligence services.
The handbook warned of the “the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and physical reconnaissance”, stating there were particularly “credible espionage and subversion threats” surrounding the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
1
2
3
4
.svg)
