Unidentified drones were spotted last week over three British airbases that house United States Air Force operations, both nations confirmed, but didn’t say more about who might have sent the airborne devices.
The drones popped up at different times between Wednesday and Saturday, hovering over the Royal Air Force’s Mildenhall, Feltwell and Lakenheath bases in eastern England, all of which the American military uses for Air Force functions.
“The number of (unmanned aircraft systems) fluctuated, and they ranged in size and configuration,” a spokesperson for the US Air Forces in Europe told the outlet.
“Installation leaders determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents or critical infrastructure,” he added, without indicating whether they interpreted malicious intent.
“We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defense sites,” said a rep for Britain’s Ministry of Defense, adding that those measures include “counter-drone security capabilities.”
It’s not clear if the unmanned systems were hostile or not.
Neither country would comment further, despite the flurry of questions these incidents may spur.
But the sightings come on the heels of an October Wall Street Journal report that said dozens of similar devices have been spotted flying over military bases in Virginia and Nevada over the last year.
Some officials suspect Russian or Chinese agents might have deployed the drones to spy on American military assets.
But the military can’t shoot them down for mere snooping, given the safety risks for civilians.
The base at Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only permanent US wing in Europe that performs midair refueling operations.
Lakenheath houses the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, the bedrock of its combat capability in Europe known for flying combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11.
Feltwell is primarily used for logistics and military housing.
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