The Pentagon confirms the Langley drone incursions and says it does not know who flew them
October 15, 2024 · The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia · Media disclosure · Secondary sources only
On 15 October 2024, after reporting by The War Zone and the Wall Street Journal, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Langley 'did experience incursions of unauthorized unmanned aerial systems (UAS) last year in December 2023.' She said the drones did not appear to show hostile intent and that, because the incidents were on U.S. soil, 'another level of coordination' was needed before acting. NORTHCOM commander General Gregory Guillot appears to have first acknowledged the incursions publicly at a Senate Armed Services hearing on 14 March 2024, and in February 2025 he said the military detected 350 drone incursions over 100 bases in 2024.
Why it matters (3/5)
The first on-the-record Pentagon acknowledgment of the incursions, ten months after they began.
Caveats
The Pentagon said it does not know who controlled the drones or why they were there. The WHRO article's headline says 'swarm' but its text does not. The Senate hearing record and a Pentagon transcript were not opened; the 14 March hearing date and the 2025 figures come from secondary reports.
Sources
- The Pentagon confirmed a swarm of drones violated Langley airspace (WHRO Public Media), context
- Pentagon confirms that unidentified drones flew over Langley Air Force Base over 17 days last December (13NewsNow), context
- Mysterious Drones Swarmed Langley AFB For Weeks (The War Zone), context
- Military detected 350 drone incursions over 100 bases in 2024 (DefenseScoop, 13 February 2025) (DefenseScoop), context