Drone spotted just ‘250 metres away from British warship HMS Queen Elizabeth’ days after the unmanned aircrafts hovered over airbases: Criminal probe launched_Nhy
A mystery drone spotted at sea came within 250 metres of the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, a minister has claimed.
Lord Coaker confirmed a criminal investigation is now underway after drones were seen tailing HMS Queen Elizabeth near Hamburg last week.
The Labour frontbencher also warned that those responsible for the spate of recent incursions at RAF bases faced up to 14 years in prison under national security laws.
Although the USAF said the drones had not been identified as hostile, the activity comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions with Russia.
It has also led to renewed concerns in Parliament over the security of Britain’s critical infrastructure, including power stations.
Only today, reports emerged warning that more drones had been spotted around US airbases in England as military police rallied to catch those responsible.
It also comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin said UK and US bases were legitimate targets for his country’s forces.
Putin issued the threat after Ukraine fired ballistic missiles supplied by both countries into Russia for the first time.
A spokesperson for USAF said drones ‘continue to be spotted’ and revealed a fourth airbase had been targeted.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves the Hamburg port on November 23
F-35 fighter jets RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk amid an investigation into reports of drones
An Israeli military drone is seen flying over the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Unmanned aerial vehicles are playing a growing part in modern warfare (file photo)
The issue was raised at Westminster by Viscount Stansgate, son of the late left-wing firebrand Tony Benn, who also pointed to the drone tailing HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Labour peer warned that ‘it may be that these flights are not a coincidence’ and suggested the matter was ‘of potentially serious concern’ given their role in warfare.
‘The House will remember that Gatwick Airport was completely closed a few years ago by unidentified drones,’ Viscount Stansgate urged.
Referring to the aircraft carrier, Lord Coaker said: ‘A civilian drone was observed in the vicinity on November 22, it got no closer than 250 metres from HMS Queen Elizabeth.’
The Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth seemed to be tailed by an unidentified 1.5-by-1.5metre drone at the entrance to the port of Hamburg, Germany, on Friday.
The German military tried to target the drone with HP-47 jammers before it flew away, according to the German newspaper Bild.
Lord Coaker added: ‘Can I reassure him that we take all of this seriously and we work closely to ensure the safety of all of our sites.’
On the illicit flights over the American airbases, the minister told peers: ‘The Ministry of Defence is aware of these reports and working closely with the US visiting forces, Home Office police forces and other partners to respond to recent events.
Drones allegedly came within 250m of HMS Queen Elizabeth earlier this month
‘We will work with civil authorities to prosecute those responsible.
‘We take any safety issue seriously and maintain robust measures at Ministry of Defence sites. This includes counter-drone capabilities.
‘This remains a live criminal investigation.’
The Labour frontbencher said the investigation was being led by the Ministry of Defence Police in conjunction with the United States Air Force (USAF), and the civilian authorities.
The USAF last week told that ‘unmanned aerial systems’ had flown over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, as well as RAF Feltwell, of Norfolk.
In their latest statement today, a USAF spokesperson said: ‘Small unmanned aerial systems continue to be spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Leakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Fairford and RAF Feltwell since November 20.’
According to the US Air Force (USAF), RAF Fairford is also used by its ‘Global Strike Command’ to launch long-range bomber operations.
USAF Major General Pat Ryder said the service ‘retains the right to defend [itself]’ should any drones threaten personnel, their families or its bases.
RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk has been earmarked as a storage facility for US nuclear warheads three times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb
He added: ‘The drones are being actively monitored. So far none of these incursions have affected base residents, the facilities or the assets we have on those bases. We are continuing to work with host nation authorities and our mission partners to ensure the safety of our personnel, facilities and equipment.
‘Small drones have become relatively common. It is something the department has been looking at closely, whether it is in combat zones or outside. It is too early to draw any conclusions. We’ve just got to look into it.’
While US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) played down the incursion, it came amid a week of serious escalation of hostilities between Russia and the West over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Sixty RAF ‘electronic warfare’ specialists were subsequently deployed to protect US-British airbases from possible Russian drone attacks.
Former military chief Lord Stirrup, who led the armed forces between 2006 and 2010, said: ‘This is not just a question of defence sites but of much wider national resilience. We have seen the extensive use of drones in Ukraine against non-military targets.
‘Can the minister reassure the House that the Government will look at this problem in that much wider context, because quite clearly we can’t mount air defence systems around every single part of our critical national infrastructure.
MoD police patrol RAF Lakenheath today after reports of drones in the skies over the base
‘We have to ensure we have some other method of protecting them against this new threat.’
In reply, Lord Coaker said there were other ways of protecting sites.
The minister told Parliament: ‘It is illegal for drones to be flown or within the vicinity of these military sites and people should be aware of that.’
Those found guilty could face up to 14 years in prison under national security legislation.
He added: ‘All agencies of the state and all parts of the state will work to ensure that we identify and do what we can with those who are conducting these acts.’
Last night, the RAF said it was continuing to support the USAF in Britain and insisted the threats were being ‘taken seriously’.
The head of MI5 last month warned Russia wants to ‘create mayhem’ in the UK and other Western countries.
