Airmen from the 100th Security Forces Squadron responded to a simulated drone incursion during Skyway Chariot, a combat readiness inspection conducted at RAF Mildenhall on 10 May 2025.
The scenario tested the base’s ability to identify and react to unmanned aerial threats as part of a broader assessment of operational resilience under contested conditions.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Austin Dalessandro, deputy chief innovation officer for Team Mildenhall’s Royal Spark Innovation Cell, piloted the drone to simulate an adversarial surveillance or attack platform. The response by Security Forces formed part of a wider inspection aimed at evaluating the 100th Air Refueling Wing’s readiness to maintain mission capability while facing potential threats to base operations.
The 100th Air Refueling Wing, based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, is the U.S. Air Force’s sole permanent air refueling wing in Europe.
The unit plays a critical role in supporting U.S., NATO, and partner nation operations across Europe and Africa, providing in-flight refuelling to extend the range and endurance of allied aircraft.
The inclusion of drone scenarios reflects growing concern across the U.S. Department of Defense about low-cost unmanned threats and aligns with evolving defensive practices under the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept.
And it is interesting how the UAP/Drone incursions at USAF bases in Britain, and in parts of the US, a few months ago, have gone very quiet.