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By Isabella Harper | Staff Writer with Agencies
Newly released police logs and infrared footage are raising serious questions about an alarming mid-air encounter over a United States military installation in the United Kingdom, contradicting earlier official explanations that dismissed the incident as a routine fighter jet sighting.
Documents obtained by the Daily Mail through Britain’s Freedom of Information Act reveal that on the night of 22 November 2024, a National Police Air Service EC135 helicopter was forced into emergency evasive action over RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The pilots reported that two fast-moving objects targeted their aircraft, matched their speed at nearly one hundred and ninety miles per hour, and pursued them for several minutes before disappearing.
The crew described a steep dive to avoid what they believed was a potential collision. Police logs repeatedly refer to the incident as an unprovoked pursuit.
Nick Pope, who previously investigated unidentified aerial phenomena for the Ministry of Defence, said the episode demonstrates why UAPs must now be treated as a legitimate safety and national security concern. He warned that simply labeling the objects as drones does not accurately describe the complexity of what occurred. Pope added that underreporting and a lack of data sharing between agencies may be increasing the risk.
Additional police records from 20 to 22 November highlight roughly twenty drone-related sightings across RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell. Some entries describe ten to fifteen drones entering base airspace. Others refer to tic-tac-shaped objects seen through night vision goggles. Air traffic was reportedly grounded temporarily after crossing paths with the unidentified craft.
A United Kingdom military source who reviewed the full thirty-minute infrared video said the footage shows objects mirroring the helicopter’s movements and performing aerial patterns that would be impossible for an F-15 fighter jet. The source noted that pilot audio never once references an F fifteen operation, only the unidentified craft that shadowed them out of the area.
Despite this, the Airprox Board, responsible for near-miss investigations, concluded that the helicopter crew had mistaken an American F-15 for the objects they encountered. Radar data confirmed the fighter jet was nearby at a distance of seventeen hundred feet, although the board reported no additional radar returns matching the unidentified objects described by the pilots.
Retired senior police detective Mike Morgan voiced frustration at the official response. He said that repeated attempts to obtain clarity about the encounter have been met with resistance and that basic questions remain unanswered.
Defense meteorologist Stuart Onyeche echoed doubts about the official explanation. He believes both the helicopter crew and the F-15 pilot were responding to unmanned systems in the area rather than misidentifying each other. Onyeche noted that the true purpose of the fighter jet’s flight that night has not been publicly explained.
The incident at Lakenheath unfolded during a period in which numerous reports described mysterious drone activity near United States military sites in New Jersey, the broader northeastern United States, and several overseas locations. The Daily Mail also referenced a joint FBI, Department of Defense, and NASA report that warned current detection and jamming systems have failed to counter advanced unmanned aircraft. The report highlighted a large drone swarm over Langley Air Force Base in December 2023, an event kept quiet until revealed months later.
Pope said that without improved transparency and coordination between agencies, countries will continue to face growing challenges in managing unidentified aerial activity. He added that the safety of flight risks will only increase if incidents like the Lakenheath encounter are minimized or ignored.
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