Ukraine hid drones in tiny houses on trucks and hit Russian bombers
The Ukraine raid showed how drones hidden near parked bombers can hit them, as the U.S. cites an Iran-linked threat of a possible drone attack in moving B-1s from Britain.
Up First from NPR · Threats On US Bases Overseas, France Student Protest, German Spy ArrestThe trucks did not look like weapons. They were left close to a few Russian bomber bases, each carrying a small mobile home on the back, the kind of boxy cabin built to be hauled from place to place.
Inside were attack drones that Ukraine had smuggled into Russia.
Last year, Ukrainian operators kept those trucks in place close to the bases and then launched the drones by remote control. The drones hit Russian long-range bombers, big warplanes built to fly great distances to drop bombs. Between 20 and 40 of the planes were damaged or destroyed, a large part of Russia's fleet of such planes.
The attack grabbed the attention of the United States, which realized its own planes could be open to the same kind of sudden strike.
Worry about drones is at the center of an American decision right now. Over the weekend, the United States abruptly removed its long-range bombers from Fairford, the British base in southwestern England used by American bombers, and flew them home because of a believable danger tied to Iran that potentially involved a drone attack, according to Greg Myre, who covers national security for NPR. A dozen B-1 bombers, long-range planes among a bigger contingent of American warplanes that used the British base in recent months for airstrikes in Iran, were flown out Sunday to home bases in the United States.
British police have arrested seven men since September 27, starting with five young men arrested in white vans near the base on countryside roads after dark. The B-1s were flown out Sunday, and a seventh man was arrested Tuesday. Police found no arms in the vehicles, and all those detained have been released on bail with no one charged. The American president and the British leader have said there is a potential Iran connection but have provided no details, and Iran has denied any involvement.
Over the last 30 years, the United States has set up numerous outposts across the Middle East and beyond to help protect allies. The drone threat has flipped that thinking. Drones and missiles from Iran have struck American bases through the region, including a serious attack on the very large American naval base in Bahrain.
Now the United States maintains a broad network of military outposts around the world, each of which must be protected against drones, and that job is complicated and expensive.
Questions people ask
What is the British base the U.S. bombers left?
Fairford is a British air base in southwestern England that the United States uses for long-range bombers. In this case, a dozen B-1 bombers based there were flown out Sunday and returned to home bases in the United States.
Why did the U.S. pull its bombers from Britain now?
American officials pointed to a believable danger tied to Iran that might have involved drones. Seven men were detained near the base starting September 27, but no arms were found, all were released on bail, and no one has been charged.
Is the U.S. rethinking its overseas bases because of drones?
Yes. Worry about drones has changed military thinking. The United States keeps a broad network of bases around the world that must now be protected against drones, which is complicated and expensive.