For more than 17 days, unidentified drones have breached restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base and other critical military installations in Virginia, sparking growing concerns among military and national security officials about potential foreign surveillance. The drones, some as large as 20 feet and flying at speeds exceeding 100 mph, have been observed near highly sensitive sites, including Naval Station Norfolk, which houses SEAL Team Six and the world’s largest naval port.
Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly and other senior military officials personally witnessed the drones flying close to these crucial facilities, raising alarms about the drones’ origin and their possible intent. Speculation is mounting that the drones could be part of a foreign surveillance operation, possibly linked to Russia or China, testing U.S. defenses or gathering intelligence on key military capabilities.
Despite the deployment of fighter jets and advanced surveillance systems, the military has been unable to intercept or capture the drones, which have managed to vanish each night without leaving any trace. Federal laws restrict the military from shooting down drones unless they pose an immediate and imminent threat, complicating the response to the incursions.
The seriousness of the drone swarms has reached the highest levels of government, prompting President Biden to hold two weeks of high-level meetings involving the Department of Defense, FBI, and other national security agencies. While no definitive conclusions have been drawn, the repeated drone activity near such critical sites has left military officials on edge.
This incident is not isolated. Just two months earlier, drones were seen flying over a nuclear weapons testing site in Nevada, though officials have yet to determine who was responsible for that breach. The growing frequency of drone sightings near sensitive U.S. military locations is highlighting a rising national security challenge as drone technology continues to advance.
In a separate but related incident in January, a Chinese national was arrested for flying a drone near a naval shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, where nuclear submarines are built. While authorities have not linked this arrest to the ongoing drone incursions over Langley Air Force Base, it underscores the mounting concerns that drones may be increasingly used to surveil and potentially compromise U.S. military sites.
Experts warn that the use of drones near military installations is a growing threat as these devices become more sophisticated. The current investigation into the drone swarms over Langley is ongoing, but the identity and motives of those controlling the drones remain unknown.
National security analysts suggest that these incidents could represent a new phase in foreign intelligence-gathering operations, with drones offering a low-cost, high-efficiency method for adversaries to probe U.S. defenses. The Pentagon, meanwhile, is exploring potential countermeasures to better detect, intercept, and neutralize unidentified drones in restricted airspace.
