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Russian unmanned aerial vehicles have entered British skies and remained hovering above
RAF
and U.S. military installations, a report has found.
Unmanned air vehicles struck the Lakenheath and Mildenhall facilities in Suffolk, RAF Fairford located in Gloucestershire, and RAF Feltwell situated in Norfolk across four days in 2024.
The small platforms were deployed from a Russian intelligence vessel known as the HAV Dolphin, which was observed near the shores of Humberside during the mission.
A security emergency led to the deployment of specialized British forces, equipped with skills and tools for countering Russian drones, at these facilities.
New information about a classified Russian mission has come to light today. In November 2024, the
UK government
refused to recognize the source of the drones.
Currently, the International Institute for Strategic Studies stated that the action formed part of a widespread Russian government initiative across the continent.
According to the IISS, Russia has employed hidden fleet ships operating in international waters to deploy drones above the UK and mainland Europe, revealing significant weaknesses in NATO's aerial defense systems.
The startling revelations emerged just days following the Labour Party's release of its significantly delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP), sparking intense controversy due to their decision not to fulfill the demands of military leaders for increased funding toward British national security.
Even though high-ranking officials urged otherwise and Defence Secretary John Healey along with Armed Forces Minister Al Carns stepped down, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to challenge the Treasury regarding funding for the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force.
Only a few weeks ago, the highest-ranking military official in the UK, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, informed Parliament that critical missions aimed at countering Russia would need to be scaled down because of financial constraints.
Even with that caution, the Prime Minister's office revealed early this week a military funding agreement which includes an extra £15 billion added to planned investments within four years.
In order to reach NATO financial goals, the UK administration must secure an extra £25 billion annually through 2035. Specialists suggest this would necessitate raising the standard income tax rate by 3 pence.
According to the IISS, from August 2024 until February 2026, Russia focused its attention on 12 NATO countries as well as Ireland, which is not part of NATO.
Infiltrations of the airspaces of these nations led to significant commercial airports shutting down and interruptions in military operations.
According to the IISS, Russian forces entered the boundaries of several highly secure defense facilities across Europe — including nuclear-related locations where U.S. B61-12 free-fall bombs are stationed and France’s naval base at Ile Longue, which houses ballistic missile submarines.
It is very probable that the Kremlin carried out a drone (UAV) operation across Europe. Our evaluation suggests that Russian-affiliated ships and the "shadow fleet" may have served as launching and recovery points for drones as part of the broader irregular warfare strategy against Europe.
The initiative probably involved several objectives, such as testing reaction speeds and determining decision points, identifying weaknesses in crucial national infrastructure, causing financial and mental burdens on European communities, and interfering with civil air travel.
As soon as Russian drones were spotted, 60 Royal Air Force electronic warfare experts were deployed to safeguard the facilities, which are used jointly by British and American staff.
Highly specialized forces were instructed to stop any unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that could endanger planes or military staff and to maintain mission secrecy.
Russian helicopter missions could have been initiated as a reaction to Ukraine launching American and British ballistic missiles into central Russia for the initial instance.
Specialists from the Royal Air Force's 34 Squadron, stationed at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, arrived.
They had thermal imaging cameras, radio frequency and sound detectors, GPS blockers, and extended range drone-defeating weapons.
At approximately the same time, an unknown drone was also seen following the UK's £3.5 billion aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Russian drones were spotted in Latvia and Romania.
During that period, the Royal Navy's main ship was arriving at the harbor in Hamburg, located in northern Germany. A 1.5-meter-by-1.5-meter unmanned aerial vehicle, which remained unidentifiable, was subjected to HP-47 jamming devices by security personnel prior to its departure.
The three locations hold significant importance and represent symbolism for the Kremlin. Currently, RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk serves as the base for the U.S. Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, which operates F-15 and F-35A supersonic aircraft.
Throughout the Cold War, it was one of the U.S. Air Force installations designated for holding nuclear arms within this nation. Earlier this year, reports surfaced indicating that atomic weaponry might make a comeback at the facility.
Reports indicated that RAF Lakenheath was getting ready to accommodate and secure weapons possessing destructive potential far exceeding that of the atomic bombs used during World War II on Hiroshima.
Aircraft stationed there have been modified to deploy what are known as "tactical gravity nuclear weapons."
Articles were also released, later quickly taken down by U.S. defense authorities, indicating further protective bunkers might be built at RAF Lakenheath for an "imminent nuclear operation."
As per open-source information, over 4,000 American soldiers are stationed there.
Close by, RAF Mildenhall aids US Air Force activities and hosts its 100th Air Refueling Wing, which operates Boeing KC "Stratotankers."
RAF Feltwell, located in Norfolk, holds equal importance because it contains the U.S.'s enigmatic radomes—weather-resistant domes designed to safeguard advanced radar and electromagnetic equipment.
The U.S. Space Force along with the 73rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing are also located there.
In 2024, former MI5 head Ken McCallum stated that Russian intelligence services were instructed to create ongoing chaos on UK and European streets.
Several mysterious fires and acts of destruction were believed to have occurred.
Bases are secured using radio transmitters that, upon activation, send out signals meant to interfere with a drone's communication systems.
This severs the connection between the drone and its remote control. Additional systems function as what are known as "electronic barriers," preventing drones from passing through.
Scholars determined that the Kremlin probably utilized Orlan-10 drones, which have been part of the Russian armed forces and intelligence services since 2010.
A two-member land-based team controls the UAV, which readily accommodates the deck area of an average-sized merchant vessel. The Orlan-10 boasts a range exceeding 300 miles and can remain airborne for 12 hours at top speeds reaching 80 mph.
Importantly, these operational metrics align with the Orlan-10 being deployed from a Russian covert naval ship in the North Sea and operating to and from classified military locations in Suffolk and Norfolk.
Residents also remembered hearing a sound resembling the operation of the Orlan-10’s internal combustion engine — unlike the high-pitched hum typical of electric motors found in more sophisticated first-person view (FPV) drones.
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