The US Air Force said on Tuesday that there had been more observations of drones flying near bases used by US forces in the UK, adding that they had not yet identified them as hostile.
“We can confirm that there were sightings yesterday (Monday) overnight and can only confirm that the numbers fluctuated and varied between bases throughout the night,” a USAF spokesperson said. in Europe in a press release sent to Agence France-Presse by the agency. 100th Air Refueling Wing, based at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, eastern England.
Mildenhall is one of three bases where drones have been spotted intermittently since November 20. The other two are at nearby RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell.
The USAF said in a statement on Monday that “small unmanned aerial systems were spotted near and above Royal Air Force Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell between 20 and 24 November.” .
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The drones varied in sizes and configurations, he adds. In its Tuesday update, the USAF said there had been no impact on base residents or infrastructure, and that the drones “have not been identified as hostile.”
“However, they are still continuously monitored to ensure the safety and security of the facility,” the statement added.
“I can confirm that the situation persists and our units continue to monitor the airspace and work with host nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets,” said a spokesperson for the US Air Force in Europe. CBS News Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said it took “the threats seriously” and supported the USAF’s response.
Although no third entity or country has been cited as a possible source of these unexplained drones, several major adversaries of the United States, including Russia and Iran, have been accused of increasing their efforts. espionage and sabotage activities in Europe This year.
American fighter jets based at Lakenheath were part of the American effort to bring down missiles launched by Iran at Israel April 13 — the first of two Iranian missile attacks on Israel this year.
Tensions between Russia, the United States and Britain are also extremely high amid ongoing tensions. war in Ukrainewith British fighter jets rushed only a week and a half ago to monitor a Russian reconnaissance plane flying near British airspace. It happened just a few days later NATO planes have been mobilized when Russian planes were spotted over the Baltic Sea and off the Norwegian coast.
Charlie D’Agata And
contributed to this report.