A mysterious swarm of drones flew in restricted airspace around a U.S. military base in Virginia over several nights in December 2023, U.S. military officials confirmed this week.
In an emailed statement on Oct. 15, U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed multiple unmanned aerial (UAS) systems—colloquially known as “drones”—began operating in the airspace around Joint Base Langley–Eustis on Dec. 6, 2023. The military base experienced multiple additional drone “incursions” throughout December 2023, according to the statement.
According to that report, as many as a dozen drones were involved in the swarming incidents around Joint Base Langley–Eustis last year. The drones also operated around other U.S. military installations in Virginia, including the world’s largest naval port—Naval Station Norfolk—and another installation serving as headquarters for the elite SEAL Team Six.
The incidents left U.S. national security officials struggling to decide whether they could shoot down or jam the drones, according to the article.
“None of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety,” the statement from Joint Base Langley–Eustis reads. “The FAA was made aware of the UAS incursions. To protect operational security, we do not discuss impacts to operations.”
The Epoch Times reached out to the U.S. Navy about the reported drone activity over its bases last year. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Navy, said, “We’re aware of the reporting. It was neither specific to the Navy nor Naval Station Norfolk.” Hawkins said the Navy didn’t have any additional details to offer.
Addressing the drone incidents at an Oct. 15 press briefing, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh reiterated that the drones didn’t appear to show hostile intent.
“Given that it’s on U.S. soil there is another level of coordination within the interagency that needs to take place,” Singh said. “But the commander absolutely had his or her authorities to engage any systems that are a threat to the base.”
Asked whether surveillance activity constitutes a threat to a U.S. military base, Singh said, “This is something that I know the department continues to analyze.”
Joint Base Langley–Eustis is home to Air Force units operating F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets, which are among the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. military’s arsenal.
The Wall Street Journal article states that U.S. officials have yet to determine who was behind the drone activity around the Langley base last year. The article does, however, note the January arrest of a Chinese national named Fengyun Shi, after he crashed and abandoned a drone in a tree about 11 miles from the base.
Investigators found no specific link between Shi and the Chinese communist regime. He pleaded guilty in July to two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully photographing a defense installation and was sentenced on Oct. 2 to six months in federal prison.
The Epoch Times reached out to his attorney for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
