UNIDENTIFIED drones have been spotted flying over Royal Air Force bases after the same sites used by US troops were hit last week.
The small number of drones have been sighted in the skies near RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhal, in Suffolk, a US Air Force spokesperson confirmed.
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It comes just days after a fleet of “unmanned aerial devices” were seen flying above the airbases set to house American nuclear weapons.
The incidents, which occurred between November 20 and 22, saw “small unmanned aerial systems” spotted over Lakenheath and Mildenhall as well as RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk.
The US Air Force, which has fighter jets on standby at the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones were considered hostile.
A spokesperson for US Air Forces in Europe said: “We can confirm that small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell between November 20 and 22.
“The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size [and] configuration.
“The UASs were actively monitored and installation leaders determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents or critical infrastructure”
Unconfirmed reports suggest F-15E Strike Eagles were scrambled to chase the drones that affected the flight operations at the base.
The US Air Force declined to comment on those claims but said it retains “the right to protect” installations.
The spokesperson added: “To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation.”
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