British and US authorities are investigating after several drones were spotted flying over four US military bases in England in recent days.
Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases amid fears the flights could be acts of deception or sabotage by an adversary such as Russia.
In a statement released Wednesday, the US Air Forces in Europe said that “since November 20, small unmanned aerial vehicles have continued to be observed near and over RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Feltwell and Fairford.”
“To date, facility managers have determined that none of the flights have impacted base occupants, facilities or assets. The Air Force is taking all necessary measures to protect the aforementioned facilities and their occupants,” – the report says.
Royal Air Force Lakenheath in eastern England is home to the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, the cornerstone of its combat capability in Europe and home to several F-35 stealth fighters, among other aircraft.
Four US B-52 strategic bombers are currently based at RAF Fairford in the west of the country.
The Pentagon said this week that it was actively monitoring the situation.
“We take this seriously. We continue to study it. But at this point [it] has not had a significant impact on the mission,” — Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday, adding that small drones are “relatively common right now.”
Britain has deployed about 60 soldiers around U.S. bases.
British Defense Minister Maria Eagle said that “multi-layered force protection” was in place.
“We will ensure that anyone we find engaging in this type of behavior is held to the fullest extent of the law,” — Eagle told lawmakers on Wednesday.
According to David Dunn, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham in the UK, the drones were not operated by amateurs.
“What is particularly worrying in this context is that there was actually talk of the presence of drones of various sizes. It seems to be a coordinated and planned activity. The most obvious thing is that it is a disruptive practice, and it actually forces the airfield to operate differently, to suspend air operations,” — Dunn told VOA.
Drones can also be used for other purposes.
“They can gather intelligence on how many planes are operating, where they are based, what movements they are making. And they can actually do that for individuals as well,” Dunn said.
The drones were spotted over Feltwell Air Force Base, which is home to mostly US military personnel, in what Dunn called a “particularly ominous” incident.
“Because in an era where you have very sophisticated fifth-generation aircraft that operate stealthily and invisibly in the electronic spectrum while flying – and are well protected on the airbase in secure shelters – the most vulnerable part of the overall system is actually the crew,” Dunn told Voice of America.
“So if you can determine where they live, follow them to their home, you can determine how to break the weakest link in that chain,” – he said.
The Times of London reported that authorities had not ruled out Russian involvement.
Dunn said there was evidence that Moscow was seeking to increase hybrid attacks, a non-military form of warfare that could still be devastating.
“Whether it was the rupture of undersea cables or the incendiary parcels being sent to the city where I live, Birmingham, — there was an incendiary parcel found at Birmingham airport. There was also [an example of] the burning of a warehouse that was storing material that was going to Ukraine. These things tend to be done by third parties, which is why the Russian state seems to have hired criminals in the UK,” – Dunn said.
The Russian Embassy in London did not respond to VOA requests for comment at the time of publication. Moscow has previously denied involvement in hybrid attacks against the West.