Swarms of Drones over Langley AFB

The US military has been left baffled by the repeated appearance of swarms of drones around one of its air bases, and a site used for nuclear-weapons experiments.

In December 2023, US military personnel reported swarms of as yet unidentified aircraft flying over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The aircraft, estimated by US Air Force General Mark Kelly to be around 6 meters (20 feet) long and traveling at over 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), made repeated visits to the air base, usually beginning 45 minutes to an hour after sunset.

Kelly told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the aircraft arrived over the base, flew off, and returned over the course of 17 nights, describing the incidents as "Close Encounters at Langley". During the encounters, several of the drones emitted small amounts of light, making them look like a constellation of moving stars, before the aircraft usually disappeared before midnight.

The US military was unable to shoot down the drones, their usual muscle memory response, as it could endanger the public in the vicinity. Instead, local police in Hampton, Virginia, trailed the drones by car and on foot over the course of two nights, beginning on December 6. Three appeared to land in Gosnold's Hope Park during this bizarre chase, but returned to the air before the police could get to them, while another appeared to land offshore.