Legal Insurrection readers may recall my report on a swarm of drones that violated air space over Langley Air Force base in Virginia for 17 days since last December, and the Pentagon appeared clueless as to who is controlling these vehicles.
Now, the U.S. Air Force is reporting that several small drones were detected last week around three bases in eastern England used by American forces.
The drones were spotted between Wednesday and Friday near RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. They were actively monitored after they were seen in the vicinity of and over the three bases, U.S. Air Forces Europe said in a statement.The Air Force didn’t identify who was behind the incursions but said base officials determined there was no impact on residents or critical infrastructure.Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which the U.S. Air Force describes as the foundation of its combat capability in Europe. Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, and Feltwell is a hub for housing, schools and other services.”To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation,” the Air Force 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.”
British officials are launching a criminal investigation into these incidents.
Ministry of Defense Police and local authorities are investigating the activity alongside U.S. forces, Defense Minister Vernon Coaker said in Parliament.“We take any safety issue seriously and maintain robust measures at Ministry of Defense sites,” Coaker said. “This includes counter-drone capabilities.”Anyone convicted could face up 14 years in prison under national security laws, Coaker said.Though it is unclear whether the drones had a hostile intent, the incidents come at a time which saw the most significant escalation of hostilities in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.
Lakenheath was critical in assisting Israel in its defense against Iranian missiles this year. The British are providing additional personnel to help protect the bases and to help identify the drone operators.
CBS News’ partner network BBC News said the U.K. military had deployed about 60 additional British troops to the bases to help aid in U.S. efforts to determine who is responsible for the drones.The personnel have been sent to assist the US Air Force (USAF) in its investigation, the BBC understands.While no entity or third nation has been named as a possible source of the unexplained drones, several major U.S. adversaries, including Russia and Iran, have been accused of increasing their espionage and sabotage activities in Europe this year.U.S. fighter jets based at Lakenheath were part of the American effort to help shoot down missiles launched by Iran at Israel on April 13 — the first of two Iranian missile attacks on Israel this year.
Drones also targeted a base in Gloucestershire (RAF Fairford) in the west. American assets at that installation include U-2S Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft from the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron and B-52 Stratofortress bombers.
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