Drone Alert Sends US Personnel to Shelter at RAF Lakenheath
A security response at the Suffolk airbase ended without reported harm on Friday, days after aircraft were relocated from nearby Mildenhall amid reports of an Iran-linked threat.
US personnel at RAF Lakenheath were instructed to take shelter on Friday evening, November 13, after suspected unauthorized drone activity triggered a response from American security forces. The US Air Force said the incident had left personnel, aircraft and infrastructure unaffected.
The immediate concern for surrounding communities also eased. West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy said authorities had told him the incident was over and there was no danger to the public, according to Sky News.
A Shelter Order at an Already Guarded Base
Sky News said it had obtained the alert directing people on the installation to the nearest designated shelter room. Reports of sirens around Lakenheath accompanied the order, bringing a week of heightened security into public view.
The precautions had begun before Friday. On November 9, a US official told The War Zone that both Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall were operating with additional force protection measures. The official said American authorities were coordinating with their British counterparts, but withheld details of the arrangements for operational security.
The two installations support different parts of US air power. Lakenheath is home to F-15E Strike Eagle and F-35A Lightning II fighters. Mildenhall houses aerial refueling, reconnaissance and special operations capabilities.
Aircraft Had Left Mildenhall, Not Lakenheath
The aircraft movements earlier in the week centered on Mildenhall. Reuters reported that at least 10 KC-135R tankers departed on Monday, November 9. Destinations included Germany, Spain and Scotland.
Osprey aircraft took a shorter route: from Mildenhall to Lakenheath, about four miles away.
US European Command offered no public confirmation of a specific threat behind those movements. It told Reuters that aircraft are transferred between locations for a range of reasons and declined to explain protective measures.
The Iran Threat Reports Concern the Earlier Moves
Sky News, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that a threat linked to Iran had prompted the Mildenhall transfers. Two days later, the United States Department of Justice charged three men over Iran linked terror plots.
The same reporting placed both Suffolk bases at the second highest level in the US military's force protection system.
Britain Had Already Reinforced Security at Military Sites
The protection of installations hosting US forces had reached Parliament the previous day. On November 12, defence minister Luke Pollard told MPs that incidents at RAF Fairford and RAF Molesworth had led Britain to strengthen security across its military estate.
He described extra policing, guards and specialist assistance where needed, alongside surveillance, access controls, aerial monitoring and counter drone systems. Security arrangements, he said, were being assessed against intelligence and the changing threat picture.
Pollard also set out an additional £470 million over four years for security infrastructure and technology at military sites, and more than £750 million for short range counter drone protection in Britain and for deployed forces. The government was expanding restricted airspace above defence locations.
