UK Defense Dismisses Drone Threats Despite Surge in Violations of Military Airspace
Maria Eagle, the UK's Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, responded to MPs' questions about drone incursions into the airspace of military bases on British soil.
During a parliamentary debate in Westminster Hall on 27 November 2024, Luke Akehurst (North Durham) and Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) shared their constituents' concerns about the increasing number of drone sightings near a growing number military bases occupied by US forces but located in England.
The second concerning report in recent days relates to the presence of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles around three RAF bases—Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell—between 20 and 22 November and overnight on 25 November.” “both reports show that short-range and long-range threats to the UK are very real, very diverse, and we need to be able to defend ourselves against them.
We also need to take seriously the potential for radar evasion along the east coast, particularly by UAVs or projectiles passing through wind farms.
Luke Akehurst (North Durham)
Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) added :
Two airbases in my constituency of West Suffolk, Lakenheath and Mildenhall, were recently targeted by drones; residents were concerned to hear aircraft being scrambled in the middle of the night to intercept them at the weekend. When the Minister responds, I would be grateful if she could give us a clear account of what happened and what the response is likely to be if that continues.
He went on to point out that the threat from the air was the greatest for decades, quoting a 2023 Defense command paper.
Other MPs echoed these sentiments:
Russian drones were looking at the east of England, and I understand that the MOD was responding to them. I know that that is a hot story—if that is the way to put it—having been in the paper for the first time this morning, but maybe the Minister can give us some indication of how we are preparing ourselves for any such incursion by Russian forces, wherever it may be in the east of England—or indeed coming through the Republic of Ireland, into Northern Ireland and ultimately towards the rest of the United Kingdom.
Jim Shannon (Strangford)
I echo the comments of my neighbour and hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) and the hon. Member for North Durham in asking the Minister to update us on the overnight story of drones flying over United States Visiting Forces bases in Suffolk and Norfolk, and the apparent deployment of the negation of improvised non-state joint aerial, or NINJA, and ORCUS systems—which is different from the AUKUS defence pact with our partners. It would be good to have an update on how that was used.
James Cartlidge (South Suffolk)
Faced with these questions, the response from the Ministry of Defence Industry representative was puzzling:
"The hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) made an important point about concerns in his constituency, which contains Lakenheath and Mildenhall. He also referred to a nearby site at which developments are worrying local people. As far as I am aware, we do not have concerns in the MOD about that development, but I fully acknowledge that his constituents do. I am more than happy to offer him the meeting he seeks, so I can understand more fully the concerns that have been raised with him and so we can engage to make sure that he is reassured, to the extent that that is an accurate thing for him to be."
“Obviously we are aware of recent reports of drones flying in the constituency of the hon. Member for West Suffolk and elsewhere. Protection of our personnel and bases is our highest priority. We employ multi-layered and credible force protection measures. I will not say here precisely what has been employed and where; for security reasons, I will not go into specifics, but the Chamber can be assured that we are taking steps. We are aware of what is going on and are doing our best to deal with it.”
“The House will be aware that through the Civil Aviation Authority, aerodromes in the UK are protected under the Air Navigation Order 2016 by uncrewed air system flight restriction zones. We will be making sure that anybody we manage to catch engaging in such behaviour is shown the full force of the law for their illegal activities. That is about all that I can say at present. Obviously, the Chamber would not expect me to go into too many details, but we are fully dealing with the matter.”
One can only wonder at these responses, which combine minimisation, proposals for secret meetings, threats to use the law against the perpetrators and confirmation of the threats to Britain's defence.
More intriguingly, the journalist Marik von Rennenkampf noted that the overflights took place a week after the US and UK finalised amendments consolidating the 1958 treaty allowing the latter to develop its nuclear programme.
In 2023, the Federation of American Scientists published an article warning that the RAF Lakenheath base could store nuclear weapons:
The Air Force’s FY 2024 budgetary justification package, dated March 2023, notes the planned construction of a “surety dormitory” at RAF Lakenheath, approximately 100 kilometers northeast of London. The “surety dormitory” was also briefly mentioned in the Department of Defense’s testimony to Congress in March 2023, but with no accompanying explanation. “Surety” is a term commonly used within the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to refer to the capability to keep nuclear weapons safe, secure, and under positive control.
The same year, the Scientific coalition for UAP studies published 2 reports regarding UAP behavior.
Intention analysis was applied to assess scenarios related to information collection/ survey, deterrent/obstruction of military activities, and aggressive engagement. A list of indicators was created, and four major scenarios were considered for assessment. Results indicated that an atomic weapons survey was the most likely scenario.
Pattern comparison of UAP activity associated with a broad sampling of sites where atomic weapons were developed and deployed was compared to activity reported form conventional military facilities and bases. The comparison indicates a higher incidence of activity at atomic weapons bases. However, the levels and concentration of incidents at atomic development facilities as well as weapons deployment bases are clearly time delimited, with UAP activity decreasing substantially following the earliest years of the study period.
Could the sudden increase in UAPs, whose unverified videos are invading social networks, be evidence that an unknown agent is monitoring the installation of American nuclear weapons on British soil, at a time when Russia has just fired its first ICBM in the Ukrainian theatre of war?
Is China trying to divert attention from Taiwan by drawing it to the other side of the world?
Is this a demonstration of the vulnerability of Britain's territorial defence, with its forces dispersed outside the country?
And at the specific time when British airborne troops are taking part in the Global Eagle exercise in the United States?