“So far, our leadership has determined that none of the incursions impacted any of our residents, facilities or assets,” Purtiman said. “We’re taking all of that appropriate measures to safeguard the installation and all of our residents.”
No property was damaged or residents harmed, he added. The airfield was shut down for about four hours late Friday evening into early Saturday morning, Purtiman said.
The number of systems spotted “has fluctuated, and they have ranged in sizes and configurations,” he said. “Our team continues to monitor the local airspace, and we’re working with local authorities to ensure the safety of our personnel, facilities and assets.”
Asked how often this happens to Wright-Patterson, Purtiman said, “First time I’m aware of.”
Drones — or suspected drones — flying over military installations have been much in the news lately, mostly for supposed flights over New Jersey bases.
Picatinny Arsenal, the Army facility in Morris County, New Jersey has had 11 confirmed sightings of unauthorized drones flying over in its airspace in recent weeks, military officials said.
A spokesperson from the Joint Staff — senior military leaders who advise the president and the secretary of defense — acknowledged on Saturday that there had been sightings of drones over two military installations in New Jersey.
“We have had confirmed sightings at Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle,” the spokesperson said. “This is not a new issue for us. We’ve had to deal with drone incursions over our bases for quite a time now. It’s something that we routinely respond to in each and every case when reporting is cited.”
The spokesperson said military installations are able to “detect and respond” to drones, and that security personnel are trained to identify them.
So far, “we have no intelligence or observations that would indicate that they were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent,” the spokesperson also said in a transcript of a briefing shared on Saturday.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” the Department of Homeland Security said last Thursday. “The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey state police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”
“We have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings,” John Kirby, a national security spokesman for the Biden administration, also said last week. “To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”
Through a spokesman, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, declined to discuss the subject last week before the reported sightings of craft over Wright-Patterson. On Monday, Turner’s office released a statement saying the congressman had been briefed by Wright-Patt leadership, but did not make him available for an interview.
A spokeswoman for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson also declined to comment last week.
A city of Fairborn spokeswoman said the city does not have any specific ordinances restricting drone operation. But she said FAA regulations are applicable.
“The city of Fairborn has a long-standing partnership with Wright Patterson Air Force Base, this includes our respective law enforcement entities,” the city said in response to questions. “The Fairborn Police Department remains committed to providing any assistance necessary to Wright Patterson ... and any other law enforcement agencies investigating this matter.”
Fairborn police have not received any recent complaints regarding drones, the city added.
Drones were seen over a U.S. air base at Ramstein in Germany earlier this month, a spokesperson for the Air Force told Reuters news service.
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International recently said the proliferation of drones has left the general public confused about how drones should and should not be used.
“The lack of adequate government investment in airspace awareness technology has left the nation ill-equipped to reliably distinguish between lawful drone operations, careless activity, and potential threats,” AUVSI President and Chief Executive Michael Robbins said in a statement. “This confusion not only undermines public safety but also risks stifling innovation in the commercial drone industry, which represents one of the most promising sectors of modern transportation.”
In general, Federal Aviation Administration rules for hobbyists flying drones include: Keep a drone within an operator’s line of sight, no flying above 400 feet and no flying near airports or other restricted areas, including near emergency response efforts or military installations.
A message seeking comment was left with representatives of the FAA.
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