US Pilots Intercept Suspicious Drones Over UK's RAF Lakenheath Without Injuries

A US Air Force spokesperson announced that American pilots at the Royal Air Force base in Lakenheath responded to "unauthorized activity suspected of involving drones" on Friday evening, noting that no personnel, aircraft, or infrastructure were affected.

The spokesperson added that the US and British sides are working closely to ensure the safety and security of armed forces personnel, civilians, contractors, and their families in both countries.

For its part, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed that US Air Force security forces responded to reports of unauthorized drone activity, stating that the situation has concluded and that they are working with the US side to establish the facts, with updates to be provided in due course.

This incident comes amidst a series of security measures taken by Washington in recent weeks, including relocating bombers from Britain that had been used to launch strikes against Iran, as well as moving large refueling aircraft from Britain to Germany.

Reports, including those from the "Wall Street Journal," indicated that an Iranian threat was behind these steps.

The bombers left the RAF Fairford airbase for security reasons after a group of men in small white vans approached the base late at night on September 27.

Two men were charged last month in connection with this incident, with prosecutors alleging that one attempted to provide assistance to Iranian intelligence in Britain.

The US Department of Justice also announced this week that a member of an Iran-backed militia planned to attack RAF Fairford while detained in the United States on criminal charges.

Tehran has denied any involvement in this incident or other malicious activities in Britain, despite authorities accusing it over the years of being involved in plots and assassination attempts against opponents and Israeli and Jewish targets.

British Intelligence Warning

In October, the head of the UK's domestic intelligence agency warned that Iran had intensified its attempts to target more hardened sites, such as military locations in Britain.

In a related development, Germany blamed Russia for an attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August, after airport staff found a drone loaded with explosives and a detonator.

The airport is a key hub for civil cargo and NATO logistics in eastern Germany, and is also used as a base for several large Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes.