A key U.S. Air Force base in Ohio has been forced to close its airspace for several hours due to a recent security scare surrounding a mysterious drone, officials confirmed Monday.
Bob Partiman, chief spokesman for the 88th Air Base Wing, told the Post that the vast Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was shut down late Friday and early Saturday morning due to concerns about “small unmanned aircraft systems.” It was closed for 4 hours.
Air traffic controllers were heard warning the medical aircraft, identified as “MedFlight 8,” to “use extreme caution for heavy UAS movement over the base.” According to records obtained by Warzonewas the first to report the fear.
The controller told the pilot that “security forces were handling the situation” and that the base's Class D airspace (usually the area around the airport up to 2,500 feet) would be closed.
Mr Partyman said the drones “varied in size and configuration” and were being monitored by base units, but he did not say how many had been spotted.
“To date, base leadership has determined that any incursions have not affected base residents, facilities, or property,” he said.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.
The drone encounter over the Air Force base, about eight miles outside Dayton, joins thousands of reports of drones patrolling the skies, mostly over New Jersey, and has infuriated residents and lawmakers who have demanded answers and action from the federal government. It happened while I was there.
Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County, New Jersey, confirmed last week that “multiple” drones had entered its airspace.
Do you have footage of drones flying over New Jersey or New York? Send it to The Post at drones@nypost.com.
Morris County's Picatinny Arsenal requested a temporary flight restriction for its airspace until Dec. 26 due to numerous reports of drone sightings in the area, officials said. .
A mysterious drone shut down New York's Stewart International Airport on Friday night, prompting Governor Hochul to request federal intervention.
Mysterious aircraft have also been reported near U.S. military facilities overseas.
In early December, an unidentified drone was spotted flying over a U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany. According to US Air Force officials. Damage was also reported at an air base used by the United States Air Force in the UK. CNN reported.
The 8,000-acre Wright-Patterson base is home to major U.S. Air Force commands, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, which researches ways to protect Americans from technological warfare.
The base is home to the Air Force Materiel Command, which “conducts research, development, test, and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapons systems war-ready. '' said the command's website, CNN reported.
The National Aerospace Intelligence Center, which identifies air, space and cyber threats, is also on site.
The Biden administration's national security adviser dismissed the story, insisting that the unusual object was a plane or helicopter and that people were simply mistaking it for a drone.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that certain agencies within the department have the authority to “neutralize” drones. “
“We need to expand these powers,” he said.
