The U.S. military observed drones making “multiple incursions” late last year over or near sensitive military sights, including an air force base, with national and local officials still unable to produce an explanation for violations of heavily monitored airspace.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that mysterious uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been spotted around the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, shortly after sunset during a period of more than two weeks.
One senior official based at Langley told The Journal that multiple drones headed across Chesapeake Bay and further south toward the city of Norfolk. They reportedly traveled across the main base for the Navy’s lauded SEAL Team Six and Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval port.
The Langley base first saw the drones on the evening of December 6, and then “experienced multiple incursions throughout the month of December,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The number of uncrewed aerial vehicles “fluctuated” and the drones varied in size and configuration, the spokesperson said.
“None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety,” they said.
Officials haven’t determined if the drones belong to enthusiasts or are operated by countries such as Russia or China, The Journal reported. U.S. officials are not convinced that hobbyists were behind the controls, with the drones flying in a pattern and using a frequency band not associated with commercial drones, according to the report.
The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, was made aware of the drone incursions, the spokesperson said.
The FAA referred Newsweek to the Defense Department when asked for comment.
The Langley representative swerved discussing specific counter-measures but said that it retained “the right to protect the installation.”
“Langley continues to monitor our air space and work with local law enforcement and other federal agencies to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets,” the representative said.
Unless the drones are an imminent threat, by law they cannot be shot down near military bases.
The spokesperson declined to get into how the drones appearing around Langley had impacted its operations, citing operational security.
Langley is home to advanced F-22 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, with one of the jets based at Langley responsible for shooting down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina in February 2023.
The F-22 fighters were moved to another base, and nighttime training missions were put on hold, according to The Journal’s report.
A U.S. government nuclear weapons testing facility close to Las Vegas has also upgraded its anti-drone systems after up to five drones were detected over the Nevada National Security Site in October 2023, the Journal reported. It is not clear who was behind the drone appearances, nor why the uncrewed vehicles were around the facility.
Drones may have been around for many years, but they are a constantly evolving challenge for militaries, law enforcement agencies and governments across the world.
As UAVs—as well as ground-based drones and new waterborne drones that Ukraine has wielded particularly effectively against Russia—develop, so too does the counter-drone technology key to fending off uncrewed attacks.
Drones can be used for a broad range of missions, ranging from reconnaissance to guiding artillery strikes, or ferrying explosives to a target before detonating.
On July 8, a Chinese citizen and graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Fengyun Shi, pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act for photographing classified U.S. Navy ships with a drone in Virginia.
The FBI said Shi, who was arrested in January, photographed Navy vessels at multiple shipyards. A Newport News shipyard was manufacturing next-generation aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. Both contain classified components.
Shi was arrested trying to board a one-way flight to China from California.
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