LANGLEY, VA - Reporting released Saturday has revealed that the restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, a facility housing F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft and close to other sensitive facilities such as the CIA Headquarters, was overflown by an unidentified fleet of drones numbering as many as a dozen at a time for 17 days in 2023.
According to The Wallstreet Journal, U.S. Air Force General Mark Kelly and other Pentagon officials can't say whether the drones were sent by a near-peer adversary like China or Russia or some clever civilians making a bit of trouble.
The outlet reported that Kelly estimated the drones to be approximately 20 feet long and flying at over 100 mph at approximately 3,000-4,000 feet. After flying over the base, they were reportedly seen heading out over the Chesapeake Bay in the direction of Naval Station Norfolk, home of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet Command.
WSJ noted that federal law currently prohibits the military from downing drones penetrating military airspace unless they pose an imminent threat. The events triggered a series of meetings with President Joe Biden over the course of two weeks in December of last year per the journal, which included representation from the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Pentagon's UFO office.
Reporting from ZeroHedge indicated that the authorities have effectively ruled out amateur drone pilots. Senior ex-Pentagon security official Chris Mellon told DailyMail that the incident was "part of a much larger pattern affecting numerous national security installations."
The War Zone, reporting on the incident in March noted that the FAA was informed of the drone flight and a spokesman for the base told the outlet, "None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety."
Two months previously per WSJ, five drones were spotted across the country near the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site outside Las Vegas, a nuclear weapons experiment site. The detection equipment at the facility as since been updated the outlet said.
According to The Wallstreet Journal, U.S. Air Force General Mark Kelly and other Pentagon officials can't say whether the drones were sent by a near-peer adversary like China or Russia or some clever civilians making a bit of trouble.
The outlet reported that Kelly estimated the drones to be approximately 20 feet long and flying at over 100 mph at approximately 3,000-4,000 feet. After flying over the base, they were reportedly seen heading out over the Chesapeake Bay in the direction of Naval Station Norfolk, home of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet Command.
WSJ noted that federal law currently prohibits the military from downing drones penetrating military airspace unless they pose an imminent threat. The events triggered a series of meetings with President Joe Biden over the course of two weeks in December of last year per the journal, which included representation from the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Pentagon's UFO office.
Reporting from ZeroHedge indicated that the authorities have effectively ruled out amateur drone pilots. Senior ex-Pentagon security official Chris Mellon told DailyMail that the incident was "part of a much larger pattern affecting numerous national security installations."
"Two of the notable aspects," he explained, "are the fact our drone signal-jamming devices have proven ineffective and these craft are making no effort to remain concealed."
"In fact, in some instances," Mellon emphatically added, "it is clear they want to be seen as though taunting us."
The military and the Pentagon’s UFO investigating arm have tried to determine the source of drones that flew over Langley Air Force Base to no avail. https://t.co/ebwEm7n3lD
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) October 14, 2024
The War Zone, reporting on the incident in March noted that the FAA was informed of the drone flight and a spokesman for the base told the outlet, "None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety."
Two months previously per WSJ, five drones were spotted across the country near the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site outside Las Vegas, a nuclear weapons experiment site. The detection equipment at the facility as since been updated the outlet said.
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