Wright-Patterson Air Force Base closes airspace due to drone sightings

CNN
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Drone activity led officials to close the airspace over one of the United States’ most critical air bases for nearly four hours late Friday and early Saturday, according to a base spokesman and a notice to airmen posted on a federal website.

Bob Purtiman, public affairs chief for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said airspace remained closed for about four hours from late Friday to early Saturday while authorities monitored the situation. CNN affiliate WHIO reported.

The drones, called “small unmanned aerial systems,” would be monitored by base units, Purtiman told WHIO. “To date, installation management has determined that none of the raids have had an impact on base residents, facilities or assets,” he said.

This airspace closure was first reported by The War Zone on Sunday.

In a recording from the Wright-Patterson air traffic control tower during the incident, posted on YouTube by The War Zone, an air traffic controller instructs an aircraft identified as “MedFlight 8” to “exercise extreme caution in the event of strong UAS movements on base “. UAS is an acronym for “Unmanned Aircraft System”.

The air traffic controller can be heard in the audio recording, which was shared by a reader, according to the outlet, saying that security is handling the situation and telling the flight that the base’s Class D airspace is — usually the area around you Airport up to 2,500 feet – will be closed.

CNN reached out to the Air Force for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Wright-Patterson activity comes amid a series of mysterious drone sightings, particularly in the Northeast, that have raised alarm among residents and local officials alike.

Drone sightings occurred near other military installations, including Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey, as well as critical infrastructure such as reservoirs.

Drone activity near U.S. military sites has also been observed abroad. In November, British air bases used by the US Air Force reported drone attacks. Officials confirmed the collapses did not impact residents or critical infrastructure, and an investigation into their cause is ongoing.

Officials urged calm and stressed there was no evidence the sightings posed a security threat.

Wright-Patterson, about five miles outside the city of Dayton, is home to key U.S. Air Force commands, including the Air Force Research Lab, which says it is looking for ways to “counter technological advances that pose threats to the way we operate “. Life,” says a video on his website.

The undated video animation shows an image of a drone approaching what appears to be a remote US military outpost.

Wright-Patterson is also home to the Air Force Material Command, which “conducts research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistical support necessary to keep the Air Force’s weapon systems war-ready,” the website says of the command.

The sprawling base also houses the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, whose mission is to “discover and characterize air, space, missile and cyber threats,” the website says, adding that it has “unique intelligence capabilities -, evaluation and analysis capabilities” can be found elsewhere.”

Another key base tenant is the headquarters of the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, which oversees 14 intelligence squadrons scattered across the country.

The base is also home to the National Museum of the US Air Force, a massive facility that houses some of the most important aircraft in history, including Bockscar, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

In another nod to history, Wright-Patterson was the site of the 1995 peace talks that led to the Dayton Peace Accords between Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, ending a three-and-a-half year war in Bosnia.

The 8,000-acre base is one of the largest the Air Force operates in the world, with more than 38,000 military, civilian and contractor employees. It is also the largest single-site employer in the state of Ohio, according to the base’s website.

Officials urge anyone who observes suspicious drone activity to report it to local law enforcement or security.

As drone activity has received widespread media attention, former FBI supervisory special agent Tom Adams suggested it CNN stated that the recent sightings may be influenced by copycat behavior as the issue receives more investigation and coverage.

“I think we’re looking at a few different things. First, I believe there are likely some legitimate visual drone sightings in New Jersey by alert residents and law enforcement,” Adams said Friday.

Rob D’Amico, the former chief of the FBI’s counter-drone unit, told CNN that more than 90% of reported drone sightings were likely misidentified manned aircraft or natural objects, while the surge in drone activity was causing confusion and exposing critical gaps Airspace security.

“What you’re seeing now is that people are starting to fly drones … either to cause more chaos or to look for drones of their own,” D’Amico said. “They need to start telling people and other government officials what they’re actually doing, what they’re seeing… all the more transparency.”

Both the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement continue to investigate the reported sightings and are committed to determining the type of aircraft involved.

CNN’s Isaac Yee contributed to this report.