‘Evasive’ pilot arrested after mystery drone spotted flying near UK military base

The number of drones reported over or near British military bases has risen sharply in the space of a year, newly released data shows.

More than 260 instances were reported at sites across the UK in 2024, with nothing being found in the vast majority of the cases.  

In one exception a drone alarm was activated and a pilot was found.  

The ‘evasive’ culprit was located, searched and arrested, according to information released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Police.  

In other cases, a pilot was issued with a warning after the alarm was sounded and a drone was found on the floor within a military site.  

In total, the ‘gold command’ for investigating such incidents disclosed information about 263 confirmed reports relating to uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in 2024 and 164 the year before.  

Peter Burt, of Drone Wars UK, which investigates and challenges the use of deadly military technology, said: ‘These figures suggest that the unauthorised use of drones near military sites is increasing and that police are having to spend increased time and resources tackling this problem. 

‘It’s notable that in the largest category of cases where alarms were activated, the police were unable to trace any cause for this. 

‘This could be because of false alarms or because of the difficulties in finding the pilot somewhere in a wide area.’

Drones, which can range from toys to light aircraft, are banned under various legislation from flying over or near military sites, with extra restrictions applied to some sensitive locations.

While the profusion of off-the-shelf models has no doubt fuelled sightings, the technology poses a ‘novel security threat’, according to Burt.

‘The vast majority of these cases will result from casual drone pilots using their drones carelessly, but there’s no doubt that drones present a novel security threat in all kinds of scenarios, not just around military bases and other sensitive locations,’ he said.
 
‘As an easily available new technology they can be used and adapted by anyone, and potentially put to malicious uses as well as positive ones.’ 

Drone alarms were activated on 111 occasions at UK military bases last year with nothing being found, according to the information release.  

Pilots were located and given words of advice on 58 occasions and there were 47 instances of a UAV, drone or quadcopter over a prohibited space.  

The number of raw intelligence reports filed by the MoD Police also grew, from 94 in 2023 to 164 the following year.

Releasing information provided through different reporting routes, the force said these cases ‘may or may not be’ reflected in the confirmed numbers where limited details were given about a sighting. 

The figures have been disclosed at a time of heightened international concern about UAV activity in and around Western military bases.  

Defence experts have linked the incidents to Russian ‘grey zone’ activity — such as sabotage, cyber-attacks and some types of espionage — in the UK, US and Europe. China has also been linked with concerted efforts to gather intelligence about the UK and its critical systems.

In November, the US Air Forces (USAF) in Britain reported UAVs over and in the vicinity of bases where it has a presence, including at the militarily significant ‘Liberty Wing’ facility in Suffolk. At the time, around 60 RAF personnel were assigned to help solve the mystery after the first objects were detected, possibly as part of an inter-linked ‘swarm’. 

All of the bases are home to American forces, with Lakenheath due to host US nuclear warheads as the threat from Russia increases.

The deployment would be the first time in more than 15 years the ally has deployed the weapons on British soil.   

A USAF spokesperson said at the time that the number of UAVs near bases with a US presence had ‘fluctuated and varied’ on one of the nights they were spotted. The representative added that they had ‘not been identified as hostile’ and were ‘being monitored to ensure the safety and security of the installations.’ 

Releasing the information, the MoD Police said details such as dates, locations and details of ongoing investigations were being withheld.

Some specifics were released to aid public ‘awareness’ of the issue.

The USAF told Metro today that there was no further update on the spate of incidents affecting its forces and referred the query to British officials.  

Responding to the USAF statements at the time, the UK Defence Minister for the House of Lords said that the Ministry of Defence Police was the ‘gold command’ for the bases concerned.

Lord Coaker also told parliament that ‘counter-drone capabilities’ were in place across military sites and ‘all agencies and parts of the state’ were working to identify and take further action against the perpetrators.

An MoD spokesperson told Metro: ‘We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.’ 

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

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