In a major update, dozens of British troops have been deployed to help the US Air Force (Image: Getty)
Dozens of British troops have been called in to help the United States Air Force find out who is responsible for drones flying over three air bases in England, according to reports.
Larisa Brown, The Times’ defence editor, reports on X that 60 troops have been deployed following concerns the drones could be part of something “sinister”, as the mystery remains unsolved.
This comes as over parts of Scotland and eastern England according to plane tracking website flightradar. It’s unclear if the flights were related at this stage.
The incidents last week saw “small unmanned aerial systems” spotted flying over Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk.
UK authorities are working round the clock to ensure the safety of the sites affected.
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Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft were spotted over Scotland and eastern England on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
The Air Force (USAF) confirmed the sightings were recorded last week between November 20 and November 22.
The drones have not yet been identified as “hostile” by investigators, but enquiries and mitigation measures remain ongoing.
USAF declined to comment on whether any defence mechanisms were used, but said it retains “the right to protect” installations.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for USAF in Europe said: “We can confirm there were sightings yesterday during night-time hours and can only confirm that the number fluctuated and varied between the bases over the night.
“Since November 20, there has been no impact to residents or infrastructure and they have not been identified as hostile.
“However, they are still continuously being monitored to ensure the safety and security of the installations.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.
“We are supporting the US Air Force response.”