RAF Lakenheath drone incident resolved after US and UK security response

Security teams at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in eastern England investigated reports of suspected unauthorised drone activity. US and UK defence officials said on Friday that the situation has been resolved. The US Air Force in Europe said the incident caused no harm. No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected during the response.

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In a statement, the US Air Force in Europe said: "We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, US and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,\" A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence also said the incident has been resolved.

Unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath and the security response

According to the British Ministry of Defence spokesperson, US Air Force security personnel responded after the reports. The spokesperson spoke on condition of anonymity due to sensitive security issues. The UK ministry said it is working closely with the Americans to establish what happened. Officials did not report any damage or injuries from the event.

The drone report at RAF Lakenheath marked the latest in a series of threats affecting US bases in the UK. Officials said three US bases have been impacted in recent weeks. The latest response came after other security actions elsewhere. Those earlier incidents raised wider concerns about base safety and nearby activity.

Unauthorised drone activity context: RAF Mildenhall aircraft move and alert level

Days before the RAF Lakenheath response, the US moved more than a dozen aircraft from RAF Mildenhall. The base sits only miles away in eastern England. The move followed a separate threat, officials said. During that departure, RAF Mildenhall raised its alert status to FPCON Charlie.

FPCON Charlie is the second-highest alert level and signals a higher risk environment. It is used when an incident occurs or intelligence indicates likely terrorist action. A US official said the aircraft move was proactive rather than reactive. Officials did not give further details about the specific threat driving the decision.

Unauthorised drone activity backdrop: RAF Fairford detentions, Iran link, and charges

Several weeks earlier, a group of men was detained after three suspicious vans travelled toward RAF Fairford. The base is 240 kilometres west of Mildenhall and Lakenheath. British authorities linked the suspected plot to Iran. After that, the US withdrew bombers that had been stationed at RAF Fairford.

RAF Fairford is UK-owned and has hosted American bombers across decades of Middle East conflicts. This included the Iran war, according to the report. Further arrests followed the initial detentions. At least three men have been charged with plotting to attack RAF Fairford, officials said.

Also this week, a US Army officer assigned to a NATO unit near Gloucester, England, was arrested. Police said the arrest was on suspicion of spying for Russia. Police added the case was not related to other counterterrorism investigations. This indicated no connection with the suspected Iran-linked plot near Gloucester.

Officials in both countries said the suspected drone incident at RAF Lakenheath ended without damage. The Ministry of Defence said it is still working with US counterparts on the facts. The event followed heightened security steps at RAF Mildenhall and earlier investigations around RAF Fairford. Authorities have continued separate probes into alleged terror plotting and suspected espionage.

With inputs from PTI