In brief

• Suspected unauthorised drone activity over RAF Lakenheath, a major US air base in Suffolk, England, prompted personnel to shelter on Friday evening.
• The US Air Force says no staff, aircraft or infrastructure were affected, and the UK Ministry of Defence says the situation is resolved.
• The incident comes weeks after US bombers left Britain and two men were charged over a night approach to RAF Fairford in September.

Evening alert at a key US air base

The incident happened on Friday evening at RAF Lakenheath, the largest US air base in the United Kingdom and one of the most important USAF installations in Europe (Drony nad bazą wojsk USA w Wielkiej Brytanii. Zawyły syreny – Onet). Sirens sounded on the site, which lies in Suffolk in the east of England (Niepokojący incydent w bazie USA. Drony nad jednym z najważniejszych obiektów NATO – Rzeczpospolita) (US air force responds to suspected drone activity at RAF Lakenheath – The Guardian). Staff received instructions to stay under cover while security teams reacted to reports of drones flying where they should not be (На авиабазе США в Великобритании заметили подозрительные дроны: персоналу приказали укрыться – NV).

What the military and the UK say

The US Air Force said its security personnel responded to "suspected unauthorised drone activity" and that no staff, aircraft or infrastructure were affected (L’armée américaine intervient pour une « suspicion d’activité de drone non autorisée » au-dessus d’une base militaire britannique – Le Monde) (Podejrzana aktywność dronów nad brytyjską bazą RAF Lakenheath – RMF24). It added that it continues to work closely with British counterparts to protect US service members, civilians, contractors and families. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that US security staff had responded and said the situation had been resolved, while officials worked with American partners to establish the facts.

Context of recent security concerns

The alert follows other security events around British military sites. In recent weeks, the United States withdrew bombers from Britain that had been used in strikes on Iran, and large tanker aircraft were moved from UK bases to Germany. Earlier, in September, a group of men in white vans approached RAF Fairford at night; two men were charged last month, and prosecutors allege that one of them tried to help Iranian intelligence on British soil.

Open questions

The military has not said who operated the drones or what they were doing. Local MP Nick Timothy said base authorities told him there was no threat to the public. Officials promised further information in due course. Residents have been urged to report any unusual activity to local authorities.