US Air Force responds to unauthorised drone incursion over RAF Lakenheath

The US Air Force confirmed it responded to "suspicious unauthorized drone activity" over Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, on Friday evening, 13 November, according to the BBC. No personnel, aircraft, or base infrastructure were affected, a US Air Force spokesperson said. Residents of a nearby village reported hearing sirens at the base, though those reports remained unconfirmed.

The UK Ministry of Defence told the BBC it was "coordinating with all relevant parties."

RAF Lakenheath hosts the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, known as the Liberty Wing, comprising nearly 7,000 military personnel. Earlier in the week, at least 12 US Air Force aircraft had departed from nearby RAF Mildenhall, including two Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling planes.

The incident comes as drone activity near British defence installations has risen sharply. UK Ministry of Defence figures show 340 security incidents involving unmanned aerial vehicles were recorded over or near British defence sites in the 12 months through August 2025 — up from 250 in 2024 and 126 the year before.

Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones said the government was taking the threat posed by hostile drones "extremely seriously" and noted that restricted airspace zones had been established over 44 strategic sites in February.

Security at US military facilities in the UK was tightened in September following an earlier incident at RAF Fairford, which Prime Minister Andy Burnham linked to Iran. Police searching vans near that base found petrol but no explosives.

In late August, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova threatened strikes against British military installations after Burnham approved transferring classified intelligence and production blueprints for Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kyiv.