F-15 Or Phantom Drone? UK Police Chopper Chased At 161 MPH

A UK Police helicopter crew got the scare of their careers over RAF Lakenheath in November 2024. They went up looking for drones. They found something much faster. And much stranger.

As The Eurasian Times reported, the National Police Air Service EC135 crew said two objects “targeted” and chased them at about 165 knots. That is 161 miles per hour. For reference, the EC135 tops out near that speed. So whatever was back there was not your neighbor’s Christmas DJI Neo 2.

The crew had to perform an emergency dive. Yes. A full dive. In a police helicopter. At night. Over a US Air Force base. That is not a normal shift.

The UK Airprox Board later said the object was just an F-15 Eagle. A classic mix up. Happens to the best of us.

Who among us has not mistaken a forty five million dollar fighter jet for a drone? But newly released police logs suggest something else entirely.

Those logs say “drones” chased the helicopter and matched its speed. One entry even says the crew believed they were “targeted.” Not exactly the language you use for a friendly Eagle flyby. Unless the F-15 suddenly learned to hover behind a helicopter like a curious dog.

A UK military insider who viewed the full thirty minute infrared video said the crew never once mentioned any F-15s. They only talked about drones. Many residents around the base agree. Several described the objects as drones. Others said they saw a “tic tac” shape. Always a crowd pleaser.

RAF Lakenheath houses the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing. The base is believed to store US nuclear weapons. So a chase at night by fast moving aerial objects is not what you want to see. Especially while you are trying to drink your evening tea in peace.

A Growing Drone Problem

This incident happened during a spike in drone sightings around US bases in the UK. There were about twenty sightings in three days. Lakenheath. Mildenhall. Feltwell. All had visitors.

Drone activity like this is not rare anymore. In December 2023 drones swarmed Langley Air Force Base for seventeen days. They showed up every night almost on schedule. Even the base commander had to visit.

In late 2024 unknown drones appeared over Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The situation was serious enough that the base shut down.

Germany saw drones over nuclear facilities. Sweden saw drones over its naval base. Norway had drones over Ørland Air Station. Denmark saw drones near Karup Air Base and called it a “hybrid attack.” The Netherlands even opened fire on drones over Volkel Air Base this past November.

Whatever is going on, the pattern is clear. Someone is sending drones to look at things they should not be looking at.

NATO Builds A Defense Wall

Because of all this activity, Europe plans to build a drone wall from the Baltic to the Black Sea. It will use sensors, radars, jamming systems, interceptors and low cost drones to fight other drones. Think of it as a giant bug zapper for the sky. But with better branding.

NATO also proposed the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line. The plan uses swarms of cheap uncrewed systems to slow down any threat. It may sound futuristic but after watching police helicopters get chased at night, it feels overdue.

The Lakenheath case remains unsolved. The police logs point to drones. The Airprox Board points to an F-15. Witnesses point to UAPs. And the pilots point to the nearest exit.

DroneXL’s Take

If an F-15 flew behind me at night and I mistook it for a drone, I would immediately go home and reevaluate my life choices. But when police officers say drones chased them at helicopter speed and even mirrored their movements, it is hard to ignore.

The UK says Eagle., The pilots say drone. The locals say “tic tac”.

Whatever it was, it flew like it owned the sky. And that should worry every base commander in Europe.

Photo credit: UK National Police Air Service, Wikimedia, Ian Forshaw / UK MOD and U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Rogers