Pentagon officials are baffled by a swarm of mysterious drones that flew over Langley Air Force Base for 17 consecutive nights.
The swarm of drones flew in a specific pattern over the base in eastern Virginia, with one or two fixed-wing drones flying more than 100 feet above the ground and a small quadcopter flying below.
Gen. Mark Kelly, the air base’s commander, said the drones are nearly impossible to capture.
Despite flying over a wide area around the base for more than two weeks in December 2023, the Air Force was unable to shoot it down due to strict federal laws that prohibit the military from shooting it down unless it poses a threat. Ta.
94th Fighter Squadron F-22s approaching Langley Air Force Base Wikimedia CommonsSome suspect the drones came from Russia or China to test the U.S. response.
In a statement, the U.S. Air Force acknowledged the violation but downplayed the potential threat.
“The number of UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) varied, and they varied in size and configuration,” the U.S. Air Force said.
“None of the intrusions appeared to indicate hostile intent, but anything that flies in restricted airspace can pose a flight safety threat.The FAA is aware of the UAS intrusions. Ta.”
Analysts noted that the quadcopters do not utilize frequencies typically associated with commercial drones, suggesting they are not operated by hobbyists.
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Because of the military’s strategic location and the long duration of the invasion, analysts contacted the White House to help develop an effective response.
Authorities are working on various options to counter potential surveillance threats, but so far all options have been rejected.
Another proposal to use electronic signals to jam a drone’s navigation system was rejected due to the risk of interfering with Wi-Fi networks and emergency response systems.
Another proposal considered using directed energy weapons, an emerging military technology, to shoot down drones.
However, the Federal Aviation Administration expressed concern about the potential danger to commercial aircraft during the holiday season.
The third option considered was for the U.S. Coast Guard to deploy nets to capture the drone.
This idea was also rejected due to questions about legal authority and the practical challenges of tracking fast-moving aircraft.
As the investigation into the Langley incident continues, a potential lead emerged in January when a Chinese student was arrested for illegally filming a naval facility.
Fengyun Shi, who was studying abroad at the University of Minnesota, was arrested while trying to return to China.
A swarm of drones flew in a specific pattern over a base in eastern Virginia.
Wikimedia Commons
Mr. Shi was captured flying a drone near a shipyard run by HII, which builds nuclear submarines and the latest Ford-class aircraft carriers.
The student’s drone that crashed into the tree included a photo of a Navy ship in dry dock taken around midnight.
“If he was a foreign agent, he would be the worst spy in history,” said Shi’s lawyer in federal court.
However, the connection between this incident and the Langley drone sighting remains unclear.
The Langley incident is not isolated, as drones have been sighted at other sensitive US military facilities.
Just two months ago, the Department of Energy’s Nevada Nuclear Security Site outside Las Vegas detected five drones in three days.
The site has been used to test nuclear weapons, highlighting the potential security risks posed by such an intrusion.
These events follow a high-profile Chinese reconnaissance balloon incident over Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, where nuclear assets are stored.
Last February 4, the U.S. Air Force responded by sending F-22 fighter jets equipped with AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles to lower balloons over the ocean.
