Police helicopter pilot 'thought he might die' in near-miss over US airbase as he hunted drones launched from Russian ship

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:32, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 11:34, 3 July 2026 A British pilot feared he could be killed if hit above a US airbase while searching for drones launched from a Russian ship, it has been revealed. He steered his helicopter downwards in a bid to escape unidentified drones now linked to a Russian fleet tanker docked in Hull.  Yet it turned out the other aircraft involved on that occasion was an F-15 US fighter, according to the UK Airprox Board. Footage previously released by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) showed the incident featuring the EC135 police helicopter and the F-15 jet that can reach speeds of up to 1,650mph. The pilot had been stationed as part of monitoring activities above sensitive airbase RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk as well as three other military HQs across the country. RAF Lakenheath is home to the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing and its F-15 and F-35A supersonic jets. During the Cold War, it was among the USAF bases used to store nuclear weapons in this country - and reports emerged earlier this year that nuclear weapons could return to the base. Documents suggested RAF Lakenheath was preparing facilities to house and guard bombs with an explosive power many times greater than the warheads dropped on Hiroshima in World War Two. Suspected drones have been filmed flying above RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk A National Police Air Service helicopter was deployed above the airbase in November 2024 An official report found it was likely a US F-15 fighter jet The aircraft based there have been adapted to fire so-called 'tactical gravity nuclear weapons'. Papers were also published, then hurriedly withdrawn by US defence officials, suggesting additional defensive shelters would be constructed at RAF Lakenheath for an 'upcoming nuclear mission'. Recording of the November 2024 episode captures the aircraft circling close to the police chopper over RAF Lakenheath and how the helicopter and jet at one point came within 1,900ft of each other.  The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near-misses, concluded the helicopter pilot had misidentified red flashing lights belonging to the F-15 Eagle. A report said the NPAS helicopter had made several transmissions to air traffic control to explain their movements and what the 'drones' were doing. However, investigators highlighted how the crew on board the helicopter had not been told by RAF Lakenheath of the F-15's presence. They noted that while the fighter pilot knew where the helicopter was, 'it may have been particularly beneficial for the situational awareness of the EC135 pilot if the Lakenheath Approach Controller had passed reciprocal traffic information to them'. Now new details have emerged about the helicopter pilot's concerns, with the Times quoting a source as saying: 'He had a real fear the drones would bring the chopper down. An assessment report by the UK Airprox Board identified the movements and distances on November 22 2024 between the EC135 police helicopter and the F-15 fighter jet 'The pilot was worried he was going to die. He was told to disengage.' The Government's emergency Cobra committee is said to have held two meetings to discuss the potential risks around not only RAF Lakenheath but also RAF Mildenhall, also in Suffolk, RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Norfolk's RAF Feltwell. The National Police Air Service helicopter was put into action on November 22 2024, spotting 'red flashing lights' believed to be from drones overseeing RAF Lakenheath. The pilot told of being overtaken by a suspected drone at 'a constant height above them', before descending at about 167mph and returning to base. The pilot descended at around 167 miles per hour but reported being overtaken by the “drone”, which maintained “a constant height above them”. They dropped to a level where they were no longer monitored and returned to base. The report said: 'They did not observe standard aircraft lights visually and none were picked up on the onboard camera systems. 'This may have reinforced the crew’s perception that they had observed a drone.' But radar readings suggested the activity was more likely from US F-15s in the vicinity, safely remaining at about 1,000ft above the police helicopter. It comes as a new report revealed this week how Russian drones have invaded British airspace and loitered over RAF and US military bases. The unmanned aerial platforms targeted the Lakenheath and Mildenhall bases in Suffolk, RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk over four days in 2024. The tiny platforms were launched from a Kremlin spy ship the HAV Dolphin that was sighted off the coast of Humberside at the time of the operation. The security crisis resulted in specialist British troops with expertise and equipment to intercept Russian drones being deployed to those bases. Video grab shows the moment a fighter jet almost crashed with a police helicopter above an RAF base A screengrab of the helicopter video shows a small object, which appears as a tiny blob on the infrared camera, slowly moving towards the top right of the screen Details of the top secret Russian operation were made public for the first time on Thursday - with the Government having declined in November 2024 to acknowledge the origin of the drones. Today, the International Institute for Security Studies declared the operation was part of a continent-wide Kremlin campaign. The IISS found Russia has been using shadow fleet vessels sailing in international waters to launch drones over Britain and mainland Europe exposing critical gaps in allied air defences. The IISS found that between August 2024 and February this year Russia targeted 12 NATO member states, and Ireland, which does not belong to NATO. The incursions into the airspace of those countries resulted in major commercial airports being closed and disruption to military activities. The IISS said the Russians 'penetrated the perimeters of some of Europe's most sensitive defence installations – among them nuclear-sharing sites hosting American B61-12 gravity bombs and France's ballistic missile submarine base at Ile Longue. The institute added: 'It is highly likely that the Kremlin conducted an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) campaign over Europe. 'We assess that it is likely that Russian-linked vessels and the 'shadow fleet' were used as launch/recovery platforms for UAVs as part of the Kremlin's wider unconventional war on Europe. 'The campaign likely had a number of aims, including probing response times and decision-making thresholds, mapping vulnerabilities around critical national infrastructure, imposing economic and psychological costs on European societies and disrupting civilian aviation.' RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk (pictured) is among bases targeted by unmanned aerial platforms The tiny platforms were launched from a Kremlin spy ship the HAV Dolphin that was sighted off the coast of Humberside at the time of the operation RAF Lakenheath, in Suffolk, is home to the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing and its F-15 and F-35A supersonic jets When the Russian drones were sighted, 60 RAF 'Electronic Warfare' specialists were sent to defend the bases, which are shared by British and US personnel. The highly trained troops were ordered to intercept any Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) posing a threat to aircraft or military personnel and to preserve operational security. The Kremlin drone sorties could have been launched in response to Ukraine firing US and UK ballistic missiles into mainland Russia for the first time. The RAF specialists came from the service's 34 Squadron, based at RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire. They were equipped with thermal-imaging cameras, radio frequency and acoustic sensors, GPS jammers and long-range anti-drone guns. Around the same time an unidentified drone was also observed tailing the UK's £3.5 billion aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, while Russian drones were sighted in Latvia and Romania. At the time, the Royal Navy flagship was entering the port of Hamburg in northern Germany. The unidentified 1.5m by 1.5m drone was targeted with HP-47 jammers by guards before it withdrew. The comments below have not been moderated. 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