US Air Force base swarmed by mysterious drones 'houses nuclear assets' – Daily Star
Details are only now emerging of a major incident centred on Langley Air Force Base, where assets from NASA were called in to help identify a ‘swarm’ of unidentified flying objects
For out-of-this-world news, sign up for the Spaced Out newsletter
We have more newsletters
For out-of-this-world news, sign up for the Spaced Out newsletter
We have more newsletters
A “swarm” of unidentified flying objects buzzed around one of America's most important air force bases, it has been revealed.
Podcaster Chris Lehto, who has commented extensively on the UFO phenomenon, says that one of NASA's WB-57F high-flying research planes was called in in an attempt to identify the mysterious craft.
The objects seen in December are currently believed to have been operated by a foreign power gathering intelligence on America's most sensitive defence installations. A spokesperson for Langley Air Force Base told the War Zone blog "none of the incursions appeared to exhibit hostile intent but anything flying in our restricted airspace can pose a threat to flight safety.”
For more stories of the paranormal, strange and unexplained, check out the Daily Star's Weird News section.
READ MORE: Whistleblower tells Congress he knows 'exact' locations Government is housing UFOs
Chris pointed out that the object’s apparent target – Langley Air Force Base – regularly uses an area of sea off the coast of Virgina where former Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves claimed to have detected multiple "unknown objects" in US airspace.
He added: “Graves said one of the objects was visually reported as ‘a cube within a transparent sphere.’ I'm a retired F-16 pilot I flew for 18 years and I've never heard of anything of that description – particularly if it's flying in high winds.”
Chris said the area around Langley Air Force Base, including the US Navy shipyards at Norfolk, are home to some of America’s most advanced warships.
He explains: “The incidents got so bad that additional assets were called in including the Whiskey Bravo 57F high-flying research plane that NASA owns.
"According to The War Zone this spate of bizarre drone incursions deeply underscores the still growing threats that uncrewed aerial systems [UAS] present on and off traditional battlefields.”
Plane spotters tracked two combat air patrols over the area in mid-December, as well as the advanced NASA plane displaying its ability to fly in absolutely perfect circles around Langley even in the face of high winds.
It’s only now that the purpose of these air patrols has emerged. A USAF spokesperson said: "To protect operational security, we do not discuss impacts to operations.
"We don’t discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation. Langley continues to monitor our air space and work with local law enforcement and other federal agencies to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities, and assets."
Chris noted that the exact reason for all this activity, in what is a militarily sensitive location, has not been revealed. He continued: “There's tons of important assets here; nuclear assets as well just an amazing amount of military hardware is it actually China on the east coast of the United States? because that would be quite interesting. Or is it people operating drones just in the general area? Is that what sparked all this activity?
“Or, is it UAPs? Could it actually be UAP incursions are picking up or now they're actually taking them seriously?”
Either way, Chris claimed this is an embarrassing incident for the USAF. “Its airspace getting penetrated for weeks on end is clearly not the best look – especially after major lapses in domain awareness and air defence capabilities were recently spotlighted by the Chinese ‘spy balloon’ saga,” he continued.
Langley is home to some of the USAF’s super-advanced F-22 fighters and one of their particular responsibilities is guarding the airspace around Washington DC.
Chris pointed out that there is a wealth of high-value military hardware located in the area. He explained: "Naval Station Norfolk the largest naval base on the east coast.
"It's home to roughly half of America's carrier Fleet and it's located just to the southeast a host of other military installations are also dotted throughout the broader area including Naval Air Station Oceana – that's where Ryan Graves operated out of and that's the Navy's Master tactical jet base on the East Coast also has Navy special warfare's East Coast headquarters."
The War Zone noted that unexplained drone incursions have been logged at military bases across the US. They wrote: “Military aircraft are also routinely encountering drones in various test and training ranges and other restricted military operating areas. America's nuclear power plants have had very troubling encounters with drone swarms.
“Yet the frequency and nature of the incursions in Virginia sound eerily similar to the bizarre claims of unidentified drone swarms roving over the plains of Colorado in the Winter of 2019-2020.
"The government response to those incidents was something of a meek sideshow compared to what clearly occurred regarding the Langley incidents — a sign of just how much more seriously these incidents are being taken.”
To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.
