US Air Force Responds to Suspected Drone Activity at RAF Lakenheath

The US Air Force said it responded to suspected unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath on Friday night, and that no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected. The US Air Force gave no further detail in the statement reported on 13 November 2026.

RAF Lakenheath is an airbase in Suffolk, in eastern England, and is one of several UK bases used by the US military. It is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, known as the Liberty Wing, which has almost 7,000 active-duty personnel, meaning serving members of the armed forces.

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said US Air Force security forces personnel responded to reports of unauthorised drone activity at the base, and that the situation is now resolved. West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy said base authorities had told him there is no threat to the public.

The base has been under heightened security before. RAF Lakenheath said in September that it was on Charlie alert, which it described as the second-highest threat level the US Department of Defense can issue.

Separately, police said petrol but no explosives were found during searches of vans near RAF Fairford, an airbase in Gloucestershire, England. The Crown Prosecution Service, the body that brings criminal cases in England and Wales, has charged two men over alleged involvement in the Fairford incident.