A civil aviation contractor has been linked to a series of mysterious drone sightings that stirred up quite a bit of concern in New Jersey last year. At an Army event in August, a representative from the unnamed company indicated during a panel that the unusual activity in the skies was indeed caused by their manned aircraft. The suggestion was made to attendees at the Unmanned Aircraft and Launch Effects Summit at Fort Rucker, Alabama, according to reports.
“Remember that UFO scare in New Jersey last year? That was us,” the employee reportedly stated.
The company was demonstrating its 20-foot-long aircraft, which has a distinctive four-wing design, which you can imagine must have looked pretty unusual. Participants at the event were intrigued, with one observer recalling, “I thought maybe the military was testing something.”
According to reports, the company had been conducting training exercises over New Jersey in November 2024 to evaluate their aircraft’s capabilities. Interestingly, they weren’t required to inform the public about this operation, thanks to their agreements with government entities.
An attendee described the craft as feeling somewhat like a UFO due to how it flew; it had an almost uncanny quality as it glided silently in the air. “When that changes, it’s like you’re completely lost. It’s not surprising folks reported seeing something in the sky and then not being able to find it,” they noted.
Approval for all demonstrations at the summit was tightly regulated, with strict guidelines against using any aircraft that possessed Chinese-made components.
Interestingly, this recent revelation comes almost a year after residents in New Jersey were alarmed by a swarm of drones that became a talking point and sparked wild theories about their origin. The cascade of sightings began on November 13, 2024, over the Picatinny Arsenal Army Base in Morris County and continued until mid-December.
In a twist, earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration disclosed that the source of the chaos was likely attributed to a hobbyist or someone flying recreationally. The Army and Fort Rucker have yet to comment on the matter.
