MoD: Russia or China shouldn't be ruled out after drones seen near bases and HMS Queen Elizabeth, expert says

Unidentified small aircraft were spotted near three British airbases in November, which are used by the USA. The US air force (USAF) previously confirmed that “small unmanned aerial systems” were seen over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, in November 20 and 22.

The USAF said they could not confirm if the drones were hostile. The incidents come in the backdrop of heightened conflict between Russia and Ukraine. A similar un-crewed aircraft was seen shadowing HMS Queen Elizabeth in the port entrance of Hamburg while she was on a diplomatic visit to Germany.

Nick Pope, a former Ministry of Defence official who headed the UFO desk in Whitehall from 1991 to 1994, told The Guardian that he doesn’t rule out the activity being related to nuclear weapons. According to a January US Department of Defense (DoD) notice, plans are progressing to deploy American nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath - in preparation for the base’s “upcoming nuclear mission”.

“Adversaries (probably Russia or China) might use drones to gather data on this, in parallel with using other intelligence-gathering strategies,” Mr Pope told the national publication. “But they’d be unlikely to risk an intelligence officer (either declared, let alone a highly prized illegal) on something like this.”

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Mr Pope said if foreign adversaries were responsible, they might use third parties such as drone hobbyists, potentially convincing them that they’re working for independent news sites. He added that anti-nuclear groups or individual activists could also be the culprits, but are mostly likely commercial drones.

Lord Vernon Coaker, Labour frontbencher, previously said that a criminal investigation is underway to find those responsible, warning that they could face up to 14 years in jail under new security laws. The investigation is being led by the Ministry of Defence Police in conjunction with the United States Air Force (USAF), alongside civil authorities.

“The Ministry of Defence is aware of these reports and working closely with the US visiting forces, Home Office police forces and other partners to respond to recent events,” the minister previously told House of Lords peers. “We will work with civil authorities to prosecute those responsible.

“We take any safety issue seriously and maintain robust measures at Ministry of Defence sites. This includes counter-drone capabilities. This remains a live criminal investigation.”