RAF Lakenheath / Mildenhall / Feltwell / Fairford incursions

Case

Overview

USAFE-AFAFRICA publicly acknowledged repeated small UAS sightings near four US-operated RAF bases; identities and operators not publicly established.

Investigative phases

Official USAFE statements; UK MoD Police investigation; later FOI inquiry by Mike Morgan; Liberty eyewitness accounts; Coulthart interviews.

Reported phenomena

Varying numbers/sizes/configurations of aerial objects; witness reports of unusual lights, silent craft, and pilot radio transmission.

Public evidence status

Official base-incursion statements; public interviews; original radar, C-UAS, helicopter near-miss and radio records not yet obtained.

Alternative explanations / caveats

Official UAS description does not independently establish specific object identity; unusual capabilities and nuclear-targeting hypotheses unproven.

Next research tasks

Acquire USAFE statements, MoD Police FOI responses, helicopter near-miss record, original witness footage/audio, radar/C-UAS logs; compare Langley.

Last reviewed

2026-11-08

Assessment

Not yet in the Case Assessment Matrix.

Evidence (1)

• USAFE-AFAFRICA statement: small unmanned aerial systems spotted near and over RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Feltwell and Fairford since 20 Nov 2024; numbers, sizes and configurations varied; not assessed as hostile; operators not identified Documented
  CE-V99-145 · 2024-11-20 to 2024-11 · Official military statement
  Gaps: The statement does not identify the systems or operators; radar, counter-UAS and incident logs are not public

Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)

0 readable here · 1 with a linked primary record · 0 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• USAFE-AFAFRICA statement: small unmanned aerial systems spotted near and over RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Feltwell and Fairford since 20 Nov 2024; numbers, sizes and configurations varied; not assessed as hostile; operators not identified Primary record linked
  CE-V99-145 · U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa statement on installation security in the UK (Update 1)