On December 13th, 2024, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base briefly closed its airspace due to drone incursions spotted late Friday and into the morning of December 15th. Dayton Daily News reports that Robert Purtiman, a spokesman for the base, confirms the sightings but assured that “…none of the incursions impacted any of our residents, facilities or assets” (Thomas Gnau, December 15, 2024). The base was closed for about four hours, with no damage reported.
The drones varied in size and configuration, and the base continues to monitor the airspace. Purtiman emphasized that appropriate safety measures are in place to protect personnel and assets. This marks the first reported drone incursion at Wright-Patterson, according to Purtiman.
Similar incidents have occurred at other U.S. military sites, including Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey. The same Dayton Daily News article discusses the concerns of a spokesperson for the Joint Staff who commented on these incursions; noting that drone activity over military installations is a growing concern. “This is not a new issue for us. We’ve had to deal with drone incursions over our bases for quite a time now” (Thomas Gnau, December 15, 2024).
CNN reports that there was another sighting of drones. They state that New York’s Stewart International Airport was ordered to close its runways for around an hour on the night of December 13th, 2024. (, and December 16, 2024).
The same Dayton Daily News article mentioned previouly, also writes that The Department of Homeland Security stated there is no evidence suggesting the drones pose a national security threat, while the FBI and local authorities continue their investigation. Homeland Security states, “We have no intelligence or observations indicating they were aligned with a foreign actor or had malicious intent” (Thomas Gnau, December 15, 2024).
The increasing frequency of these drone sightings, including recent reports over Rammstein Air Base in Germany, has heightened concerns regarding the security of military installations worldwide.
