Langley Air Force Base officials are in the market for special anti-drone nets to protect their tactical aircraft from prying eyes, including F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. The move comes about a year after waves of still-unexplained uncrewed aerial vehicles buzzed the base.
The air base near Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this month put out a contract bid seeking information from vendors about supplying enough drone netting to cover up to 42 aircraft shelters on the flight line.
“The intention of the netting is to deter and ultimately prevent the intrusion of [drones] near airmen and aircraft,” the Air Force said in its bid.
For more than two weeks in December 2023, a dozen or more drones overflew the airfield at Langley Air Force Base. The incident was first reported earlier this year by The War Zone, a website that covers military issues.
On Tuesday, a Pentagon official said the base had been targeted by a swarm of uncrewed aircraft systems. The number of aerial incursions fluctuated on any given day.
“They didn’t appear to exhibit any hostile intent [but] it’s something that we have kept our eyes on,” said Defense Department spokesman Sabrina Singh.
When asked why Langley officials didn’t destroy or disable the drone swarms, Ms. Singh said military commanders have all the authority necessary to protect forces, facilities and infrastructure.
“With all these incursions, and given that they were on U.S. soil, there was another level of coordination with the interagency that needed to take place,” she said. “This is something the department is continuing to analyze.”
While the identity of the person who flew the drones over Langley Air Force Base remains a mystery, a Chinese national this month was sentenced to six months in prison for taking drone footage over Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding in Newport News, about 10 miles from Langley Air Force Base.
On Jan. 6, the National Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) learned that a man identified as Fengyun Shi had been operating a drone outside the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard. Police were called to the scene after Mr. Shi’s drone got caught in a tree in the yard of a resident, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.
According to court documents, Mr. Shi was a graduate student from Minnesota and was in Newport News on vacation during the holiday school break. The drone fell out of the tree the next day and was turned over to police.
The memory card from the drone’s camera contained photos and videos of several U.S. Navy vessels — including submarines and aircraft carriers — in dry dock at the Newport News shipyard.
“Newport News Shipbuilding is (and was on Jan. 6, 2024) actively manufacturing Ford-class carriers as well as Virginia-class submarines, components of which are classified,” according to court documents in the case.
According to media reports, Mr. Shi was arrested after he boarded a one-way flight to China. He pleaded guilty under the Espionage Act and was sentenced to six months in prison.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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