Drones swarmed a military base for days and the Pentagon still doesn’t know why

Ten months after multiple drones flew over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for more than two weeks, the Pentagon is still unsure where they came from. 

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the Department of Defense hasn’t figured out the source of the uncrewed aerial systems that flew over the base for 17 days in December 2023, breaking into restricted air space several times. They did not attack or interact with any aircraft or personnel, but the nearly three weeks of incursions prompted major meetings with government officials. The FBI, Department of Defense officials, and members of the Department of Defense’s All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, created to identify unidentified objects, held two weeks of meetings to try and determine the source of the incursions. 

The incursions started on December 6, 2023. The drones ranged in size, some being around 20 feet long, often flying over the base in the evening. The drones flew at approximately 100 miles per hour and made noises described as similar to lawnmowers. According to reports, they were also hard to track. The Wall Street Journal reported that Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, then the head of Air Combat Command, witnessed the drones.

Despite months of investigations, the source remains unknown. It’s also unclear if the flights were malicious or the work of some hobbyists. The fact that the drones were able to make repeated flights into restricted airspace remains a concern. Despite last year seeing several suspected surveillance balloons shot down by American fighter jets, the drones were not shot down; federal law says that drones flying over bases can only be shot down if they are a direct threat to the installation. 

The base, located in southeastern Virginia and part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, is home to F-22 squadrons and the headquarters of Air Combat Command. The F-22 that shot down a Chinese spy balloon early in 2023 was based at the installation.

Related: The Air Force wants to see how good the F-22 can get

The War Zone first reported on the incidents in March of this year, after the Air Force confirmed the events that took place in December. “None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety,” a base spokesperson told The War Zone in March, noting that the FAA was informed of the events.

The Langley incident was not the only one in 2023. The Wall Street Journal’s report noted a previously undisclosed drone incursion in October 2023 at a government nuclear site.

“Two months earlier, in October 2023, five drones flew over a government site used for nuclear-weapons experiments,” the article reads. “The Energy Department’s Nevada Nuclear Security Site outside Las Vegas detected four of the drones over three days. Employees spotted a fifth.”

It’s unclear if the Nevada drones are linked to the ones that flew over Langley, but their source also remains unknown. 

This past week, Langley Air Force Base posted a notice looking for information on counter-drone netting that could keep the fighter jets at the base essentially shielded by spying outside UAVs. Drone swarms have been a concern for the U.S. military, given the low costs of many drones and the ability to mobilize them in large swarms. Some units have trained how to counter such drones. 

Feature Image: A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor performs a series of aerial maneuvers during an F-22 Demonstration practice at the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Nov. 7, 2019. JBLE hosted the Air Force portion of the Secretary of Defense-sponsored visit. JCOC is the Department of Defense’s oldest public outreach program that enables American business and community Leaders to have a fully immersive experience with their military. (Photo by Senior Airman Sarah Dowe/Joint Base Langley-Eustis)

This article by Nicholas Slayton was originally published by Task & Purpose.

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