Have you heard about the multiple numbers of large drones that have been seen flying over New Jersey, parts of NY and states south?

I also heard they were seen flying over trumps golf course in New Jersey. Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t seem like the news are treating it as if it’s that important. But maybe the military is just keeping a lid on it for now. I’m concerned about it.

Someone pointed one out in the sky as we left a concert last night.

I missed this one. I suspect that the military knows where they’re taking off and landing, I assume they must have petty sophisticated radar systems covering strategic areas like military bases and would be able to deploy interceptors to pursue/shoot down unknown aircraft in restricted airspace.

If you fly your Cessna into the wrong airspace in DC, it won’t be long before you have fighter planes escorting you out of the airspace and then to a major investigation by the FAA. Maybe “small car” sized objects are able to have a small enough radar signature that they evade detection. That would surprise me though.

One thing is clear from Ukraine though, and that’s the idea that drones are going to dominate the modern battlefield in future conflicts. I wouldn’t be surprised if our defense contractors are developing classified systems and running tests to that end.

@janbb Had the person who pointed it out heard of the issue previously, or were they wondering what is going on?

@jca2 I don’t know. We didn’t discuss it after they mentioned it.

They have also been appearing over US bases in the UK. Drone. incursions were initially reported at three US airbases – RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk – between 20 and 22 November,

I heard, and also saw for example the “unexplainable large car-sized drone with a giant X on it” report, which someone else very clearly demonstrated that it was more like a basketball-sized power wire protector clearly visible during the day.

@gorillapaws Yes, also, unclassified anti-drone systems.

@Zaku large numbers of them, like 50 at once, with lights, flying around would be a power wire protector?

@flutherother I noticed in your link that they would quote a person with their name and also show their picture. Is that normal over there? It seems very odd.

I feel like these are mostly creative people, playing tricks with a new technology. I’m sure many have filmed the whole process.

I see guys like that on tictok, who have a suped up car, with no tags and a 360° camera, who entertain themselves running from the police.
A infamous blacked out Corvette’s owners were finally found, and they had drugs and guns too. Just had money, and wanted a thrill…

I believe this, because the craft I have heard of/seen, all have lights. If I were designing a spy drone, I’d probably skip nav lights…..

GP is likely correct, in that the government knows where these craft originate, and return to.
I know that in Ukraine, they go out in vans at night, and set up camp and fly dozens of FPV drones at Russia, then get back to their side. Obviously, they occasionally get caught, but it seems like they can avoid advanced Russian detection systems…

I know that it’s illegal to shoot them. Still. If you see an old duck hunting shotgun with a long barrel for cheap, you might want to grab it. For when they’re all over the place, and the end is near.

We saw a string of lights last night around 6pm (SF Bay Area).

Six lights…a slight gap and then thirteen more lights.

Someone was guessing it was related to Starlink?

@jca2 No. I’ve seen maybe 50 or more posts about such drones online, but none of them mentioned or showed 50 at once. Almost all of them were unconvincing to me, even as unidentified drones.

Note that even if there are 50 drones at a time – ok? I have three drones myself, and haven’t bought any of them.

Drones exist. When you fly them at night, you get a light in the sky that’s not easy for civilians (or local police) to identify.

And, there is software for flying them in arbitrary formations – even to intentionally make them look like there’s anything you want in the sky, even giant animated dragons, or whatever. THAT’s expensive and takes some talent/effort and software, but is conventional commercial technology now. Flying a few in a formation is not that big a deal.

And again, almost everything I’ve seen reported has been a drone or two at best, and at worst, it’s a ball on a power line, or a camera blur, or a helicopter, or a jet.

And as for the US military . . . if there were something that they didn’t know what it was buzzing their bases, the air would start to be full of anti-aircraft fire. If there even is anything worth talking about, then they know what they are – they just aren’t saying. Most likely, any groups of flying things that the FAA doesn’t know about – are US military or something like that.

Hadn’t heard about it. Is it large drones or multiple drones? A drone the size of a car is a helicopter.

Maybe people are planning a holiday drone show in the night sky? That would be nice. I’ve been to a drone show at Disney and it was fantastic.

It’s the new Area 51¾

@JLeslie I saw one on America’s Got Talent. It was beautiful and so creative.

Update Tuesday, 12/10/24, CBS News:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq0sfM3bYeo

They’re being skyjacked by Musk, so he can build the Mara Lardo Luftwaffe. ;-o