LONDON (AP) — Unauthorized drone activity prompted a security response at an American base in Britain, but the situation has been “resolved,” U.S. and U.K. defense officials said Friday.
Security forces at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in eastern England responded to suspected unauthorized drone activity, but no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected, the U.S. Air Force in Europe said in a statement.
“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the statement said.
A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said the incident has been “resolved.” U.S. Air Force security personnel had responded to the reports, and the U.K. ministry is working closely with the Americans to determine what happened, according to the spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters.
The drone incident means that three U.S. bases in the United Kingdom have been affected by threats in recent weeks. Friday's security response at RAF Lakenheath comes just days after the U.S. moved more than a dozen aircraft from a different base just miles away in eastern England — RAF Mildenhall — because of a threat.
During the plane exodus, RAF Mildenhall also raised its alert level to FPCON Charlie — the second-highest level, which is used when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely.
A U.S. official said at the time that the decision to move the aircraft was proactive rather than reactive.
Several weeks ago, a group of men was detained after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Mildenhall and Lakenheath. British authorities linked the plot to Iran, and the U.S. withdrew its bombers that had been stationed there.
The U.K.-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Iran war. Other arrests followed, and at least three men have been charged with plotting to attack RAF Fairford.
Also this week, a U.S. Army officer assigned to a NATO unit at a military base near Gloucester, England, was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia. Police said the arrest was not related to other counterterrorism investigations, indicating no connection with the suspected terror plot linked to Iran at RAF Fairford, also near Gloucester.
Toropin reported from Washington.
FILE - An F15 is towed from the main runway at RAF Lakenheath, home of the British-based USAF 48th Fighter Wing, April, 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.
The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication yet that "this was a nefarious attack against us. It's just a telecommunications outage."
“Everybody's safe. There's no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they're flying,” Mullin said.
There is no timeline for restarting flights. Mullin said investigators will look at whether there is any link to the FAA's nationwide rollout of a new artificial intelligence system to help identify problems and reroute planes. But that system operates out of one location near Washington, D.C., and just sends recommendations to the air traffic control centers.
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fiber optic lines and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.
But much work remains. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
The problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said, except this time on a nationwide scale. It may be linked to the outdated technology used by air traffic controllers.
“If you don’t have that ability, whether it’s because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you’ve got to stop airplanes on the ground,” said Arroyo, who is a former United Airlines pilot. “And not put them in the air where you’re going to risk not being able to communicate with them.”
Friday’s ground stop was different than the one after Sept. 11 because planes were not being told to land immediately and pilots likely were able to communicate with ground controllers at airports, Arroyo said.
AP writer Mead Gruver contributed to this report from Fort Collins, Colorado.
This story has been corrected to show the Sept. 11 attacks were in 2001.
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration logo is displayed in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - An airplane flies past the air traffic control tower at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Nov. 8, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
FILE - A Delta Airlines and United Airlines plane are seen at Denver International Airport on Nov. 6, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
