Mystery Drones Swarm US Military Base for 17 Days, Leaving Officials Baffled

In a bizarre and alarming incident, a swarm of unidentified drones has been spotted flying over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 consecutive days in December last year, leaving U.S. military officials perplexed and concerned. The drones, described as roughly 20 feet long and flying at speeds of over 100 miles per hour, began appearing about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset each night.

The incursions into the restricted airspace of Langley Air Force Base triggered significant alarm among military and national security officials. General Mark Kelly of the U.S. Air Force, who witnessed the drones firsthand, described them as flying in a consistent pattern, traversing the base and heading south over Chesapeake Bay towards Norfolk, home to Naval Station Norfolk and SEAL Team Six.

Despite extensive efforts by military and law enforcement, including the use of Coast Guard ships and local police, the drones remained nearly impossible to track and disable. Federal law prohibits the military from shooting down drones over U.S. soil unless they pose an imminent threat, further complicating the response.

The sophistication of the drone operations, which included larger fixed-wing drones and smaller quadcopters that did not use typical commercial drone frequencies, ruled out the possibility of hobbyists being behind the incursions. Officials have speculated that the drones could be the work of hostile powers such as Russia or China, but no definitive evidence has been found.

The incident has highlighted growing concerns about drone incursions into restricted airspace and the challenges of countering such threats on American soil. Similar incidents have been reported at other sensitive sites, including a nuclear weapons experiment site in Nevada and near Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In a related development, a University of Minnesota student, Fengyun Shi, was arrested in January for flying a drone near a shipyard that builds nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. However, investigators found no link between Shi and the larger drone swarm at Langley Air Force Base).