What are the mysterious drones flying over America?

Mysterious drones have been hovering in the night skies over New Jersey and other surrounding states for a month. they have been spotted many We military siteThey have been videoed on houses and apartment buildings. A flock was seen chasing a US Coast Guard rescue boat, at the same time New Jersey police reported 50 drones coming from the sea to land. But no one knows who is running them, or whether it is a coordinated effort.

The incidents have attracted the attention of state governors and legislators as well as members of the US Congress, and the FBI has launched an operation. InvestigationAsking the public to report sightings.

Eyewitnesses have described the drones as being as fast as a lawn mower, with some being the size of a small car – much larger than a typical quadcopter or multirotor drone that anyone can buy. “These are not necessarily small, hobbyist unmanned aerial systems that you can buy for $2000,” says Daniel Gerstein At the RAND Corporation, a think tank in California. “They feel like they have a longer range and are more sophisticated than something you’d find at a hobby shop.”

Blurry night-time videos are emerging on social media about drone sightings in states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, one of which shows a drone. Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. Federal Aviation Administration Drone flight ban issued Following reports of drone activity at the Trump National Golf Club and Picatinny Arsenal military base in New Jersey. The sightings coincide with other drone swarms recently seen near UK military bases where US Air Force squadrons operate.

On December 10, the House Committee on Homeland Security held a meeting hearing On drone threats with officials from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Justice. Officials described the recent sightings as a possible mix of both rotor drones and fixed-wing drones, but had little information about what the drones were doing or who was operating them. . However, he said drones do not pose any serious threat yet. in a different briefing The agency, on behalf of the US Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers that some of the sightings may have mistaken the aircraft for a drone.

Ryan Hurd, a New Jersey town mayor, told abc news live Officials confirmed that these are not US military drones and they are not operated by any American technology company.

Meanwhile, in Britain, Defense Minister Vernon Coker told Parliament last month that officials Test Since November 20, several drone attacks have occurred near several British military bases. Those bases support U.S. Air Force squadrons that fly fighter jets, bombers and support aircraft.

“The common theme in all of these cases is that no one has completely cracked the code on how to find, track, and, if necessary, shoot down small drones,” he says. arthur holland mitchellA journalist and author who writes about drones. “The second common theme is that if the person flying the drone is actively trying to avoid detection, the challenges of countering that drone are greatly increased.”

Radar and other sensors can track drones, Mitchell says, but “it’s still not practical to cover every inch of the country with detection and tracking systems,” which often leaves authorities “completely vulnerable to drones in most of our airspace.” Kind of makes you blind. “As a general rule, once a citizen sees a drone and reports it or films it with their phone, it is too late (to take quick action),” he says.

Gerstein says there is some uncertainty about who has the main authority and responsibility to take action against such drones, between local law enforcement and state and federal agencies. And even if it becomes clear, figuring out the best way to address them isn’t easy.

Gerstein says they can use missiles, lasers, bullets and even other drones to either shoot down the drones outright or use electronic warfare signals to take control of suspicious drones and force them to land. There are many anti-drone measures in place. Such technologies have been commonly used during the drone-heavy war in Ukraine, while U.S. Navy warships and other Navy vessels have shot down dozens of drones that pose a threat to shipping in the Red Sea region.

“When it comes to shooting down drones, the most effective measures are often the most dangerous,” Mitchell says. “We cannot have law enforcement departments firing high-powered projectiles into the air or activating military-grade signal jammers whenever a drone is spotted flying over (New Jersey).”