ARLINGTON, Va. — The Pentagon is confirming that unidentified drones did fly over Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
Langley is the East Coast home to F-22 Raptors, advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jets. The 1st Fighter Wing maintains and operates half of the F-22s in the United States Air Force's inventory.
The Wall Street Journal reported last weekend that U.S. military personnel reported drones appearing in restricted airspace over Langley between December 6 and 23 last year.
Now, the Defense Department confirms it happened.
"Langley Air Force Base did experience incursions of unauthorized unmanned aerial systems last year in December 2023. The number of the UAS incursions did fluctuate on any given day, but they didn't appear to exhibit any hostile intent," said Sabrina Singh, Defense Department Deputy Press Secretary, during a news conference Tuesday at the Pentagon.
Singh was asked why the Air Force did not shoot down the drones.
"I do know with all these incursions, given that it is on U.S. soil, there is another level of coordination within the inner agencies that needs to take place. But the commander absolutely had his or her authority to engage any systems that are a threat to the base," she said.
It is unclear if the drones belonged to hobbyists or to a foreign government or adversary.
Singh said she didn't know where they were launched from. "This is something the department continues to analyze," she said.
Senate Armed Services Committee member Tim Kaine issued a statement to 13 News Now.
In it, he said:
“I have followed this issue closely since it occurred and visited Langley Air Force Base shortly after the attacks to question leadership. That’s why I’ve worked to help secure provisions in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act to counter uncrewed aircraft systems activities. I will continue working with my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee and other federal agencies to ensure our national security assets and military installations are protected.”