USAF confirms that multiple unauthorized drones entered it’s airspace the week of March 9
Officials at Barksdale Air Force Base confirmed Friday, March 20 that multiple unauthorized drones entered the base’s airspace the week of March 9.
Barksdale is located in Shreveport, LA and it’s host unit is the 2nd Bomb Wing (2 BW), the oldest bomb wing in the U.S. Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's (AFGSC) Eighth Air Force (8 AF).
Between March 9 and 15, security forces observed “multiple waves of 12–15 drones” operating over sensitive areas of the Louisiana installation, including the flight line, according to the document dated March 15. The drones displayed non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links, and resistance to jamming. Analysts assessed “with high confidence” that unauthorized drone flights over the base would continue.
The aircraft were not consumer-grade quadcopters. Analysts determined they appeared custom-built by someone with “advanced knowledge” of signal operations. The drones flew for roughly four hours per day and maneuvered carefully around restricted zones, suggesting the operators knew the base’s layout. Their entry and exit patterns were specifically designed to prevent triangulation of the control source.
This is particularly sobering as Barksdale is one of only two bases in America that host our long range strategic bombers which can carry nuclear arms. Security is paramount.
If this can happen at Barksdale, it can happen anywhere.
Barksdale is located in Shreveport, LA and it’s host unit is the 2nd Bomb Wing (2 BW), the oldest bomb wing in the U.S. Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's (AFGSC) Eighth Air Force (8 AF).
Between March 9 and 15, security forces observed “multiple waves of 12–15 drones” operating over sensitive areas of the Louisiana installation, including the flight line, according to the document dated March 15. The drones displayed non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links, and resistance to jamming. Analysts assessed “with high confidence” that unauthorized drone flights over the base would continue.
The aircraft were not consumer-grade quadcopters. Analysts determined they appeared custom-built by someone with “advanced knowledge” of signal operations. The drones flew for roughly four hours per day and maneuvered carefully around restricted zones, suggesting the operators knew the base’s layout. Their entry and exit patterns were specifically designed to prevent triangulation of the control source.
This is particularly sobering as Barksdale is one of only two bases in America that host our long range strategic bombers which can carry nuclear arms. Security is paramount.
If this can happen at Barksdale, it can happen anywhere.
