In late 2024, a series of unauthorized drone incursions were reported near military installations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, raising security concerns among defense officials. The incidents involved unidentified drones operating over or near sensitive sites, including US Air Force bases and defense-related industrial facilities. Military and law enforcement agencies in multiple countries launched investigations, deploying counter-drone measures and increasing security in response.

Europe

United Kingdom

Between 20 and 26 November 2024, a series of unauthorized drone activities was reported over and near four

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

bases in the United Kingdom:

RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The insta ...

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall, or more simply RAF Mildenhall , is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station located near Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a List of Royal Air Force stations, ...

, RAF Feltwell, and

RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 20 ...

. These installations, located in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, are critical to US military operations in Europe. The drone activity persisted for several days, raising concerns about the coordination and intent behind the incursions. Residents of Beck Row, Suffolk, located next to an RAF base, also reported drone sightings.Are mystery drones above US bases in England something sinister?
by Matt Precey, 29 November 2024 BBC.
Nov 27, 2024, NY Times.Drones spotted near 4 bases used by US Air Force in England
By Danica Kirka, The Associated Press, via website for Air Force Times.
By Rob Picheta and Natasha Bertrand, CNN November 24, 2024. About sixty British combat troops were deployed to help to defend US bases against drones.

Incidents

During the incursions, multiple small unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) were observed entering

restricted airspace Restricted airspace is an area of airspace typically used by the military in which the local controlling authorities have determined that air traffic must be restricted or prohibited for safety or security concerns. It is one of many types of s ...

. The drones varied in both number and type. The incursions prompted joint monitoring and countermeasures by US and UK military personnel. British troops were deployed to assist in tracking and identifying the drone operators, using counter-drone systems such as ORCUS. The incursions also led to disruptions in flight operations, with

F-15E Strike Eagle The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. Intended for the Dual-Role Fighter (DRF) program (initially called Enhanced Tactical Fi ...

s scrambled from RAF Lakenheath to investigate. Authorities encountered difficulties in identifying the drone operators, raising concerns about potential espionage or hostile surveillance. The incursions heightened worries about the security of critical military infrastructure. Investigations are ongoing, and both the operators and their intentions remain unknown. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', military analysts have concluded that the reported drones may have been on a surveillance mission for a state actor.

Air bases affected

All four bases are considered highly strategic and sensitive. RAF Mildenhall supports refuelling and special operations, while RAF Feltwell provides logistical support for US forces. RAF Lakenheath hosts the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, operating F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning II aircraft. RAF Lakenheath is also slated to house American nuclear weapons, adding to the sensitivity of the incursions. RAF Fairford hosts a Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady detachment from the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron and is the US Air Force's only European airfield for heavy bombers. It routinely supports Bomber Task Force (BTF) operations.

Germany

In August 2024, there were some reports of unidentified drones around US bases; at the time this was not the major news item that it later became in December 2024. One drone was reported to have traveled at 100 miles per hour. Various German officials began inestigations.Drone sightings near bases, infrastructure unnerve German officials
By Linus Höller, Thursday, Aug 29, 2024, Defensenews. German news outlets reported some drone sightings over a chemical park in Brunsbuettel.German NATO air base lowers security level after ‘potential threat
�� By AP Staff Friday, Aug 23, 2024, posted at Defensenews website. One NATO air base raised its alert level due to drones.Alert at NATO base in Germany was due to drone threat, source says
By Reuters, August 26, 2024. In summer 2024, the prosecutor's office in Flensburg began investigating possible threats of espionage due to concerns about drones.Drones in the sky: Germany probes alleged espionage flights over Ramstein base
In recent weeks, drones have been spotted over key facilities in Germany, including the Ramstein military base. The site Spiegel.de reports that German security services are investigating these incidents as potential espionage activities. The American military has confirmed these incidents., by Bartłomiej Chudy, 14 December 2024, Daily Wrap German authorities began an official investigation into overflights by unknown drones, at sensitive sites.
An investigation was opened on Friday for 'suspicion of agent activity for sabotage purposes.'By Cécile Boutelet (Berlin (Germany) correspondent), August 24, 2024, Le Monde. The US military confirmed increased sightings around bases in Germany in December 2024. This included Ramstein Air Base.
By JENNIFER H. SVAN, STARS AND STRIPES, December 16, 2024.More Small Drones: Air Force Bases in Ohio, Utah, Germany All Report Sightings
Dec. 17, 2024 , By Greg Hadley, Air and Space Forces Magazine. These sightings were reported in the newsmagazine

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

, as well as various US and UK news publications.U.S. military confirms drone sightings at air base in Germany
By Andreas Rinke and Rachel More, December 13, 2024, Reuters.Unidentified drones spotted over US air base in Germany, report says
Guardian, Dec 13, 2024. Sightings were also reported around industrial facilities owned by Rheinmetall, a manufacturer of various weapons.Unidentified drones seen over US military base, industrial site in Germany
France24, Dec 13, 2024. This was discussed at an official conference by interior ministers from German states.

North America

United States

In March 2024, some news outlets reported significant sightings of unidentified drones over Langley Air Force Base, a highly important base in Virginia. this was well before the major wave of sightings in December 2024 which caused major news headlines and coverage. This wave of sightings resulted in major response by US government aircraft, including a NASA aircraft. In August 2024, a wave of drone sightings over Plant 42, a US Air Force facility in Palmdale, California, caused a major wave of concern. The US Air Force officially confirmed these reports, in replies to journalists' inquiries. In response, the FAA imposed new restrictions in the airspace over that facility. In December, numerous reports indicated thousands of possible drone sightings in the USA. The FBI is leading an interagency investigation that includes the Department of Homeland Security and various state police agencies. In mid-December, a Chinese national was arrested by federal officials for flying a drone over

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg S ...

in California in late November 2024.Northern California Man Arrested for Allegedly Flying Drone Over and Photographing Vandenberg Space Force Base
Wednesday, December 11, 2024, US JUstice Dept official website.Chinese national arrested after ‘drone flown over US air base'
Aircraft said to have taken photographs on same day SpaceX rocket launched with ‘sensitive payload’, Tony Diver, 10 December 2024.
Updated: Dec. 18, 2024, By Tina Kelley , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Possible causes

China

Some US legislators have speculated that China was responsible for the drone activity.

Russia

An investigation into the UK drone incursions by The i Paper concluded suspected Russian links. The investigation was based on

Open-source intelligence Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt sources and publicly available information) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforceme ...

linking suspected

GRU (Russian Federation) The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formerly the Main Intelligence Directorate,; and still commonly known by its previous abbreviation GRU,; is the foreign military intelligence agency of th ...

affiliated operatives working under cover as seasonal fruit pickers in the vicinity of the UK military installations.https://inews.co.uk/news/russian-links-drone-sightings-uk-air-base-3542584

References

{{reflist Drone sightings Aviation accidents and incidents in Europe Aviation accidents and incidents in North America UFO sightings in Europe UFO sightings in North America Drone sightings