Drone sightings over US bases prompt deployment of British troops

LONDON

British and US authorities are investigating after several drones were spotted in recent days flying over four US military bases in England. Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases, fearing the overflights could be acts of deception or sabotage by an adversary such as Russia.

In a statement released Wednesday, U.S. Air Forces Europe said small unmanned aerial systems continued to be spotted near and above Royal Air Force Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Feltwell and RAF Fairford since November 20. The drones observed have fluctuated and vary in size and configuration.

To date, installation officials have determined that none of the incursions have impacted base residents, facilities or assets. The Air Force is taking all appropriate measures to safeguard the above-mentioned installations and their inhabitants, the statement said.

RAF Lakenheath in eastern England is home to the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, the cornerstone of its combat capability in Europe and is home to, among other things, several F-35 stealth fighter jets. Four US B-52 strategic bombers are currently based at RAF Fairford in the west of the country.

The Pentagon said this week it was actively monitoring the situation. Ultimately, this is something we're going to take seriously. We continue to think about it. But for now, [it] has not had a significant impact on the mission, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday, adding that small drones have now become relatively common in the landscape.

Britain has deployed around sixty soldiers around American bases. British Defense Minister Maria Eagle said she was using force protection measures at several levels.

We will ensure that anyone we manage to arrest for engaging in this behavior is shown the full force of the law, Eagle told lawmakers Wednesday.

The nature of the sightings suggests that drones are not used by amateurs, said David Dunn, a professor of international politics at Britain's University of Birmingham who has written extensively about the dangers posed by drones.

It is particularly alarming in this context which we actually talked about there [being] several different drone sizes. This appears to be a coordinated and planned activity. The most obvious thing is that these are disruptive practices and they actually force the airfield to operate in a different way, to suspend flight operations, Dunn told VOA.

Drones can also be used for other purposes.

They can collect intelligence on the number of aircraft in operation, where they are based and what their movements are. And, in fact, they can do it for individuals, too, Dunn said.

Drones have been seen over the US base at RAF Feltwell, which primarily serves as a living quarters for US military personnel, which is particularly sinister, according to Dunn.

Because at a time when you have very sophisticated fifth generation aircraft that operate stealthily and invisibly in the electronic spectrum when they fly and are highly protected on the air base in hardened aircraft shelters, the most vulnerable part of the overall system is actually the crew. , Dunn told VOA.

And so, if you can identify where they live by following them to their marital home, you can identify where you can actually break the weakest part of that chain, he said.

The Times of London newspaper reported that authorities have not ruled out Russia as the culprit. Dunn said there is evidence that Moscow is seeking to escalate hybrid attacks, that is, a form of non-military warfare that can still be destructive.

From disrupting undersea cables to sending incendiary packages to the city where I live, Birmingham, an incendiary package was found at Birmingham Airport. There is another [example] of the fire in a warehouse which stored equipment intended for Ukraine. These things are usually, it seems, carried out by third parties, through whom the Russian state, it appears, has employed criminals in the UK, Dunn said.

The Russian Embassy in London had not responded to VOA's requests for comment at the time of publication. Moscow has already denied any involvement in hybrid attacks against the West.

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