Royal Navy: Unidentified drones seen flying over US Air Bases in UK after aircraft stalks HMS Queen Elizabeth

The United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed that a small number of un-crewed aircraft have been seen in the vicinity of bases in Suffolk last night. They said the airspace over East Anglia will also be monitored closely.

Other “unmanned aerial systems” were noticed flying over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, as well as RAF Feltwell, between Wednesday and Sunday, the USAF said. They have yet to identify who is behind the incidents. UK authorities are working alongside them to secure the safety of the bases.

US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) played down the incursion, with hostilities between Russia and Ukraine escalating rapidly. Russia launched 188 drones against most regions of Ukraine in a night-time blitz, the Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday, describing it as a record number of drones deployed in a single attack. Most of the drones were intercepted, according to the air force, but apartment buildings and critical infrastructure such as the national power grid were damaged. No casualties were immediately reported in the 17 targeted regions.

USAF said the number of sightings “fluctuated and varied between the bases” but they have not been identified as hostile. In a statement, a spokesperson for USAF in Europe said: “We can confirm there were sightings yesterday (Monday) during night-time hours and can only confirm that the number fluctuated and varied between the bases over the night.

“Since November 20, there has been no impact to residents or infrastructure and they have not been identified as hostile. However, they are still continuously being monitored to ensure the safety and security of the installations.” A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) added: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites. We are supporting the US Air Force response.”

British troops have been drafted in to help the Americans to find out who is responsible for operating the drones. The PA News Agency said around 60 troops have been deployed as part of the investigation.

The use of drones in a military capacity has increased rapidly, with some even being used to follow Royal Navy assets. According to the German tabloid Bild, a mystery drone was seen to be following HMS Queen Elizabeth during a recent visit to Hamburg. An unidentified 1.5-by-1.5metre drone shadowed the 65,000 tonne carrier at the entrance to the port on Friday (November 22). The publication said German military tried to target the drone with HP-47 jammers before it flew away.

HMS Queen Elizabeth was in Germany to underscore a new major defence agreement between the nation and the UK. The UK-Germany Trinity House Agreement is a sign of the Government’s attempts to forge closer relations with European allies, particularly on defence and security measures.

The agreement is the latest sign of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s drive to “reset” relations with the European Union’s key players, with a wider UK-Germany treaty set to be signed next year. The defence agreement will see the Nato allies working together on developing long-range, strike weapons that can travel further than the UK’s existing Storm Shadow missiles. The UK and Germany will also collaborate on developing new land-based and aerial drones.