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US Air Force notes drone activity over military bases in UK, Reuters reports

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US Air Force notes drone activity over military bases in UK, Reuters reports
Pentagon spokesperson General Patrick Ryder at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on Oct. 31, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Unidentified drones have flown over three U.S. Air Force bases in the U.K. in the past week, U.S. officials said on Nov. 26.

"Small unmanned aerial systems were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell from Nov. 20 to Nov. 26," a spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. The three bases, located in Suffolk and Norfolk, are leased by the U.S. Air Force from the U.K.

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder addressed the incidents, emphasizing the U.S. military’s serious approach to the situation.

"Installation leaders have determined so far that none of these incursions impact the base residents, the facilities, or the assets that we have on those bases," Ryder said. While noting that small drones are a common occurrence, he stressed it remains too early to determine whether the flights originated from hobbyists or another source.

A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, indicated the drone activity appeared coordinated rather than the work of casual enthusiasts. The official added that investigations into the incidents are ongoing.

The U.K.'s Ministry of Defense acknowledged the reports and expressed its commitment to security at defense installations.

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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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