HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Security is poised to tighten up at Joint Base Langley-Eustis following more than a dozen cases of mysterious drones flying overhead.
In an Wall Street Journal article published Saturday, it was detailed that over 17 days in December 2023 “a dozen or more” of the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) flew over the base where the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters — one of the main aircrafts used to help defend us here at home — are based.
One official is quoted to have said it was “unlike any past incursion.” Around dusk, “a dozen or more” of the Unmanned Aerial Systems would appear.
“Some shone small lights, making them look like a constellation moving in the night sky — or a science-fiction movie,” said now-retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly. “‘Close Encounters at Langley.’ They also were nearly impossible to track, vanishing each night despite a wealth of resources deployed to catch them.”
While at this point, it isn’t known if there is a threat, the Air Force has put out notice requesting Unmanned Aerial Services netting for East Ramp Metal Sunshades on base that the F-22s sit under on base.
This was first reported by The War Zone.
The request goes onto say that “the intention of the netting is to deter and ultimately prevent the intrusion of Unmanned Aerial System’s near airmen and aircraft.”