back to article White House attempts to 'explain' mystery drone sightings: The FAA authorized 'em

Time to pack it up and go home, drone conspiracy theorists: The White House has finally offered an explanation for those mysterious New Jersey drone sightings from late last year - though its rather vague statement raises more questions than it answers. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held the first press briefing …

  1. Rich 2 Silver badge

    Eh?

    This makes no sense at all. It’s not like the whole thing wasn’t widely publicised. Why would the FAA not say anything at the time? Indeed they seemed to deliberately “forget” to mention any involvement at all to the point that they were happy to sit back and watch the FBI and other agencies run around looking into it.

    I’m not into conspiracies but this is definitely bollox.

    1. pdh

      Re: Eh?

      The only semi-legitimate explanation that I can think of is that perhaps it was a test. That is, maybe a large number of the drones were indeed being operated by the FAA, and they (or some other partner agency) wanted to keep track of which drones were reported by the public and which were not. Maybe "people report this kind of drone but they don't notice that kind;" or noting observation patterns based on time of day; or maybe for calibration: you send up 50 drones and note that you get 100 reports from the public. Hence in the future you can estimate that if you get X number of reports, there were probably X/2 number of actual drones.

      Not saying that I believe in this explanation, just that it's a possibility.

      1. Rich 2 Silver badge

        Re: Eh?

        Is an idea but from what I understand, some of these drones have come very close to other aircraft and have been seen buzzing around airports.

        Doesn’t sound like the sort of thing a gov body with responsibility for air safety should have any hand in, even if it is a “test”

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Eh?

          I thought the FAA responsibility was to say that Boeing planes were safe to operate?

        2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

          Re: Eh?

          Is an idea but from what I understand, some of these drones have come very close to other aircraft and have been seen buzzing around airports.

          Doesn’t sound like the sort of thing a gov body with responsibility for air safety should have any hand in, even if it is a “test”

          I dunno, but it sounds like something the FAA could or should be involved with. So a controlled test to assess the impact of drones around airports. Test flights, talk with airport staff asking if/when they see the test drones. Which may also explain why the drones had navigation lights on them to make testing safer. Radar operators could hopefully see them still, and anyone up to no good would likely disable the lights. Or one of the other alternative rumors was the military testing drones, but they have their own closed airspace if they wanted to do that. So good'ol Groom Lake has test stands and radar arrays visible on satellite images for just that purpose.

          But what is rather more dubious is if the FAA was conducting tests, there weren't any NOTAMs warning aircraft that they were ongoing. That might have been due to wanting to test if pilots noticed 'UFO's, but seems a tad risky in the highly litigious US. That may also explain why the FAA stayed quiet, despite the media attention. Test over, FAA speaks up, but if it was innocent testing, the FAA really should give a better explanation.

          1. MachDiamond Silver badge

            Re: Eh?

            "Radar operators could hopefully see them still, and anyone up to no good would likely disable the lights."

            The drones would have to be a pretty good size and have a fair bit of metal used in their construction to be visible on active RADAR. Most of what's called "RADAR" these days is a display of transmitters mounted on aircraft that send out a signal with the aircraft's information, alt, Lat/Lon (ADS-B). My drone has a widget that sends out Bluetooth which is next to useless since the signal is so low-power, but it's required in the US now. Something needed to be done, they did something and, as usual, it's completely worthless. Cost me another $120 which is better than having to purchase another $1700 worth of drone kit with the RID built in, I suppose. I don't feel any safer.

            1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

              Re: Eh?

              Something needed to be done, they did something and, as usual, it's completely worthless. Cost me another $120 which is better than having to purchase another $1700 worth of drone kit with the RID built in, I suppose. I don't feel any safer.

              I'm wondering if this is the kind of thing the FAA (and maybe DHS) was testing. So if current regulations for drones are good enough, or if there's going to be new regulation to add things like RADAR reflectors, or transponders.. Which would increase costs for normal users, and do next to nothing to prevent nefarious users yeeting drones into aircraft or POL stores. Drones are one of those genies that's well and truly out of the bottle now that regular commercial drones are being weaponised in pretty simple ways.

      2. phuzz Silver badge

        Re: Eh?

        In that case part of the problem would have been that the public 'saw' all sorts of drones which didn't exist.

        I used to think the old canard that people mistook (eg) Venus as a UFO was a canard, but it turns out to be very true. The autokinetic effect is a real thing folks.

        (See also, the Gatwick "drones")

        1. PB90210 Silver badge

          Re: Eh?

          There is also the 'Falkirk Triangle', a notorious hotspot for 'UFOs'... slap bang between Edinburgh and Glasgow airports!

          Erm... if the lights flash or double flash at a rate of 1 per second then that UFO is FAA/CAA compliant

          1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

            Re: Eh?

            Showing standard navigation lights seems like the sort of trick a secret government drone / UFO would do

        2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Eh?

          Fox news did report on a man who saw three bright white drones in a line.

          The picture they showed is more commonly known as Orion's belt - but we don't know if Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka aren't actually star sized drones 1000 lyr away

    2. David 164

      Re: Eh?

      I'm guessing it FAA policy not to tell the public about the military testing new aircraft technologies.

      1. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: Eh?

        "I'm guessing it FAA policy not to tell the public about the military testing new aircraft technologies."

        The military isn't going to say about any new testing they're doing if it's over a base. That's restricted airspace so there's no requirement. There's a military contractor airport not to far from me and while I can get authorization to fly near it, that can also be revoked with next to zero notice if they suddenly discover they are going to run some flights. I have to check immediately before flying if my authorization has been pulled and they can also call me on my mobile at any time to land right away. To date, none of that has happened, but those restrictions are appended to every airspace authorization in that area. To me it seems strange that there would be no hint of goings on since most testing will be on a schedule, but perhaps they don't want to announce they are doing anything until the last minute so they aren't handing out notice.

    3. Meeker Morgan

      Re: Eh?

      1) It's the government.

      2) A non-explanation explanation.

      Of *course* it's a conspiracy.

      No theory as such, but I must say they lo-o-o-o-o-ove general surveillance of the population.

    4. Ididntbringacoat

      Re: Eh?

      Why are you taking 47's words at "face value", that is as "true facts", given his clear history of, shall we say, self serving confabulation and outright false statments?

      1. Cris E
        Alien

        Re: Eh?

        It was a non-story under Biden and now it's a non-story under Trump. Ergo, it much be such a massive cover-up that neither had any choice but to get in line and repeat the lies. I knew it!

    5. Not Yb Bronze badge

      Re: Eh?

      There were several announcements.

      https://news.yahoo.com/news/biden-official-offers-reason-mystery-222311985.html

      Most every drone hobbyist suspected "those are just drones." Administration announced "These are very likely hobbyist and news media drones".

      Lots of performative idiots decided that they had to be "suspicious drones" with no evidence.

    6. Maria*

      Re: Eh?

      I know. Wasn't the FAA specifically asked about the drones

      back in November and they denied knowing anything about it? Trump also implied that it was something bad. He said the drones were around his bedminster golf place and he wasn't going back to Jersey because of the drones! Sounds like a warning back then, but now it's all ok? Trump knew EXACTLY what those drones were back when he made that comment, when Biden was being briefed about them because he also was being briefed about it as the president elect! The president elect gets briefed on everything the president does. Trump just didn't want to say. I'm keeping my eyes on Trump's movements. I want to know if he ever comes to his golf course in bedminster. If he doesn't, i think I'm leaving NJ. I'm taking

      it as a warning because it means something bad is going on.

  2. dlc.usa
    Holmes

    What About This?

    https://www.meritalk.com/articles/house-lawmakers-want-to-extend-expiring-counter-drone-authorities/ Is it coincidence the sightings stopped after the 20th?

  3. HuBo Silver badge
    Alien

    About this Deliverance Banjo drone mission (from Mars)

    Well, I'm glad our DeepSeek anal probe drone exercises over New Jersey were greeted with a recreational label by the new White House FAA ... it sure was fun for us! As for Breitbart News joining the Press Corp for that announcement ... hmmmmm ... it might just get more reliable if purchased by the Onion imho!

  4. Notas Badoff

    "directly from the President"

    Trump says coronavirus will ‘miraculously’ be gone by April ‘once the weather warms up’

    During the campaigning, when Trump would claim he'd reduce food prices, why didn't people just point at his steady grasp of reality the last time around.

    1. UDECIDE

      Re: "directly from the President"

      The sad thing is you won't convince people of the truth when they WANT to believe the lies. So as prices in everything start to rise higher and continue to in mostly every product just give them gentle reminders that they chose this that they shouldn't complain.

    2. ReggieRegReg

      Re: "directly from the President"

      BIDEN Town hall: “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.”

  5. Hurn

    "Authorized" ?

    "the rumor mill suggesting some of the craft were as large as sport utility vehicles (SUVs)"

    I seem to recall something about drones weighting more than 55 lbs not requiring licenses (as was assumed, at the time, that only the gov't & "industry" had the capability [read: $$] to field such).

    Presumably, "SUV sized" drones would qualify for this weight class, and thus, be (almost magically) "pre-authorized".

    "We don't need no stinking badges flightplans" ?

    Wasn't Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems based in New Jersey (near Grover's Mill)?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: "Authorized" ?

      So there are flying cars but the automakers are keeping them secret so we buy Tesla's instead

      1. Cris E

        Re: "Authorized" ?

        Wake up, man. Tesla IS the government now.

    2. rcxb Silver badge

      Re: "Authorized" ?

      I seem to recall something about drones weighting more than 55 lbs not requiring licenses (as was assumed, at the time, that only the gov't & "industry" had the capability [read: $$] to field such).

      No, it's just that drones under 55lbs qualify for the quick online registration process.

      Drones over 55lbs have to go through the full paper registration process that regular aircraft have to use.

      https://www.faa.gov/faq/if-my-uas-or-drone-weighs-more-55-lbs-what-are-registration-requirements

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Vaccination testing

    A theory : they wanted to see if the could provide the vaccine using drones against the potentially, possibly , might just kill all humanity wave of the common cold that is coming next.

    It would be interesting to see if Fauchi was involved.

    Biden did those preemptive sweeping pardons for a

    reason.

    And the definitely couldn't have had Kamala Harris as the principal speaker for that kind of exercise so they had to hush it all up as it was pre election time.

    1. blu3b3rry

      Re: Vaccination testing

      I recommend Bacofoil next time, it's way more comfortable especially if you haven't got much hair.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Vaccination testing

        Yid read the word "Theory" and you did understand the trolling aspect ?

        1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge

          Re: Vaccination testing

          'Yid read the word "Theory" '

          Guessing you are going to mention Jewish space lasers next?

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Vaccination testing

      But were they wearing a tan suit? That's the secret signal to the Illuminati

  7. Potemkine! Silver badge

    If we weren't waiting for Russia to attack the rest of Europe in 2028 with the support of the Orange Clown, it would be enjoyable to look at this fantastic show of BS happening in the US right now.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'm not sure I'd put much trust in the blitherings of an author who is very obviously suffering from some sort of severe mental problems.

      Unnamed sources..

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        I know - but they did elect him so we have deal with them

  8. codejunky Silver badge

    Because

    "prompting the then-President-elect to claim the government knew what was going on but wasn't telling the public - or him, apparently."

    Sounds like that was true. If Trump has now become President (for not even a week yet) and knows enough that he can tell people the FAA authorised the flights. So under the last president they wouldnt say anything, but with the new administration at least they are acknowledging reality that they are real.

    Note to the previous administration- acknowledging reality is a good thing. Otherwise people can see you lying.

    1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
      Black Helicopters

      Re: Because

      With the Washington air accident today, it seems President Trump is an expert air crash investigator too. Already root-caused it to, "DEI". That's impressive work.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Because

        Well it was a Black Hawk helicopter

        1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
          Black Helicopters

          Re: Because

          This just in: New Executive order from President Trump renaming Black Boxes, which are too woke.

        2. Maria*
          Facepalm

          Re: Because

          That's what they claim. I bet it was no helicopter but a mysterious drone. After all, many flights in Jersey were delayed because of heavy drone activities around airports.

      2. codejunky Silver badge

        Re: Because

        @ChodeMonkey

        "With the Washington air accident today, it seems President Trump is an expert air crash investigator too."

        I have not been following the events of that, but you do know people report to the President? Just as Trump was informed (and seems very right) that Covid came from the lab. Something people quickly jumped on as a lie and racist, and then Biden got elected and it was suddenly possible. Now its about the only explanation that makes sense.

        1. codejunky Silver badge

          Re: Because

          @ChodeMonkey

          So I have finally managed to see clips of what was said and Trump suggests it might have been a factor. Also he signed an EO undoing the DEI changes from Biden which reduced standards and took focus away from recruitment and safety.

          It also sounds like Obama tried to do a DEI thing that Trump previously reversed and then Biden took it further. Now reverse the roles and imagine Trump lowered standards and there was such an accident, you can guarantee the policy wouldnt even be 'maybe' to blame. People would be certain Trump is an evil monster who probably caused the crash.

          1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
            Thumb Up

            Re: Because

            Would be good to know which standard were lowered here. So tell us.

            1. codejunky Silver badge

              Re: Because

              @ChodeMonkey

              "Would be good to know which standard were lowered here. So tell us."

              The FAA’s focus on diversity began under the Obama administration. In 2013, the FAA started using a “biographical assessment” to increase the hiring of preferred minority racial groups at air traffic control centers. The assessment asked applicants about their participation in school sports and the age at which they started earning money.

              The assessment disqualified more experienced, qualified applicants, many of whom were Air Traffic Collegiate Training graduates or had other critical experience, such as a pilot’s license.

              More than 3,000 rejected applicants filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination. The FAA dropped the biographical assessment in 2018 after Congress enacted a law banning its use.

              As late as last year, the FAA was recruiting those with targeted disabilities, including “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism.” The recruitment began during the Obama administration and appears to have continued through Mr. Trump’s first term and into Mr. Biden’s presidency.

              The Biden-era FAA website, now scrubbed, said, “The FAA’s mission involves securing the skies of a diverse nation. It only makes sense that the workforce responsible for that mission reflects the nation.”

              In 2022, the FAA pledged to “diversify its workforce by rethinking its hiring practices,” and administration officials assigned long-term goals to amplify diversity, accessibility and LGBTQ issues.

              A 2022 performance target required that the agency “host a national symposium with internal and external stakeholders to socialize efforts on the use of gender-neutral language at FAA.”

              The FAA declared 2023 a “Year of Inclusion” and held a three-day symposium that trained FAA employees to understand the impact of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and to overcome and unmask “unconscious bias.”

              Source- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/30/faa-diversity-hiring-practices-scrutiny-long-air-d/

              1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
                Headmaster

                Re: Because

                So there was a pre-screening before candidates were forwarded for the standard testing. Not that lower qualified candidates were given jobs over higher qualified ones.

                There is even a specific class action ongoing that states this.

                https://simpleflying.com/faa-air-traffic-controller-applicants-lawsuit

                "The lawsuit doesn’t allege incompetent controllers were hired instead of CTI graduates. Instead, it states that the CTI graduates weren’t given the opportunity to demonstrate their competency."

                Looks like President Trump is being fed false or misleading info. That's quite dangerous in of itself.

                N.B. The Washington Times funded by the Moonies. and so should be carefully assessed when being used as a single source.

                1. codejunky Silver badge

                  Re: Because

                  @ChodeMonkey

                  "N.B. The Washington Times funded by the Moonies. and so should be carefully assessed when being used as a single source."

                  Feel free to do your own leg work.

                  "So there was a pre-screening before candidates were forwarded for the standard testing."

                  According to your source (https://simpleflying.com/faa-air-traffic-controller-applicants-lawsuit) -

                  The lawsuit alleges that the FAA turned away more than 1,000 qualified air traffic controller applicants. These applicants passed the normal tests before the Obama-era FAA threw out the test results and the applicants with it. and Before the Obama-era FAA, a high rate of graduating students were hired as controllers. However, changes in the hiring process saw these CTI graduates being passed over for jobs over high school graduates.

                  Apparently there is a shortage of air traffic controllers and yet 1000 qualified air traffic controllers were turned away based on race (your source). These highly qualified people being passed over for high school graduates.

                  The FAA was under pressure to diversify the overwhelmingly white workforce and began screening applicants using a biographical test. Only after passing this test were they tested on competency.

                  Your source is pretty damning that before testing for any competence people were filtered out not on merit but on attempts to meet political motives-

                  In contrast, criteria that would disadvantage African Americans, such as holding a pilot's license, were worth only two points. An air traffic controller with a pilot's license understands what happens on the other end of the radio, which is a major advantage. Even more blatant is the omission of any points for actual experience as an air traffic controller in the military.

                  But you want to say less experienced and lower qualification is NOT lowering standards? Please note again that each of these points is from YOUR source.

                  1. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
                    Black Helicopters

                    Re: Because

                    Still on this DEI thing? The narrative has moved on. Do keep up.

                    "The Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???,"

                    1. codejunky Silver badge

                      Re: Because

                      @ChodeMonkey

                      "Still on this DEI thing? The narrative has moved on. Do keep up."

                      Hang on dont run away. First you complain about my source not being good enough and provide a source that also tears your opinion to shreds. As more information comes out the FAA and union target is for 30 controllers to be on duty and they had 19! The controller in charge of that airspace at that time was doing the job of 2 people (landings and takeoffs). Does this not concern you because it certainly sounds dangerous.

                      Republicans had previously wrote to have the DEI policy changed and were ignored. During a shortage over a thousand to over 3 thousand (depending on sources) were turned away for the DEI nonsense.

          2. PB90210 Silver badge

            Re: Because

            "imagine Trump lowered standards"

            No imagination necessary...

        2. ChodeMonkey Bronze badge
          FAIL

          Re: Because

          President Trump also said he wanted to tup his own daughter. Is that relevant?

  9. Brennan Young

    I remember when the Swedish coast was being menaced by what were widely alleged to be "Soviet" submarines.

    Years later, Casper Weinberger admitted that NATO routinely undertook secret u-boat missions in the region, and it later emerged that the Swedish intelligence services had been aware of this the whole time. Nonetheless they allowed the panic to unfold, with USSR invariably accused, with the story dominating the Swedish news media after every sighting, and typically followed by calls for Sweden to give up its neutrality.

    Full details in "The Secret War against Sweden: US and British Submarine Deception in the 1980s" by Ola Tunander, 2004 ISBN 0-7146-5322-5; ISBN 978-0-7146-5322-8

    H. R. Mencken's famous quote seems apt here, as it is so often: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins."

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      So MTG isn't a random chaos monkey - she is brilliant politician part of a deep government conspiracy to cover up all the real shit?

      Does that mean there really are Jewish Space Lasers and Democrat weather control?

    2. Grinning Bandicoot

      Whiskey on the rocks was a Yankee ops?

  10. David 164

    So military testing new drone tech. As most people guessed.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Or military testing how much rapid media blitz could be generated to distract and cover up for no drone testing.

      Or that's just what the want you to think.

      It doesn't explain the invisible stealth Iranian drones over Gatwick

  11. shermanku

    FOIA the drone data then...

    If indeed the drones were sanctioned by FAA we should, via the Freedom of Information Act, be able to retrieve the details related to these authorizations to fly over sensitive air space, etc. Just saying...

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Summary: President who wins (and who recently won heartily) when he can get simple people to follow him down the low-intellect conspiracy theory hole of the week decides to invent evidence that the laughable right-wing mass hysteria drone nonsense was real. Doesn't care whether such evidence is credible.

    He should probably follow up on that video Larry Hogan, Governor or Maryland, posted about the 'drones' outside his house as they were some really scary stuff, being hundreds of times larger than the Sun, visible despite being 500 light years away and having been there for millions of years. Damn the FAA!

    1. Not Yb Bronze badge

      He didn't even get >50% of the popular vote. I've never quite understood why someone claims 49.8% is a great win, or some sort of "mandate" to get any particular policy forced through immediately.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Remind us again how much the democrats got .

        And then think to yourself if Trump win then the democrats must have been absolutely terrible. And they were .

        Biden, thrown out by his own side because he has lost his marbles

        Harris, injected into a position she couldn't handle because she has no marbles.

      2. ThomH Silver badge

        I've called it a great win elsewhere — at least in numerical terms, certainly not as relates to my preferences. I've done that because:

        The Republicans have won the national popular vote only one other time in the last 30+ years — George W Bush in 2004 with the incumbency advantage and still buoyed by the post-9/11 rallying around the flag. Trump is therefore substantially more popular than his party brand, despite being it raised to the power of eleven.

        He has improved substantially on both his 46.1% 2016 win and his 46.8% loss. In popular vote terms, to the extent that it even matters, his 49.8% beats both his 2016 total and Clinton's.

        To get there he has made gains across every demographic. It isn't true to say that he relied heavily upon any particular group turning out or not.

        He's also having something of a cultural moment. Sportspeople are doing his dance when they score American sports points, and people who supported him no longer feel the need to be secretive about it. There have been no substantial protest movements yet, unlike 2016.

        So, yeah, I agree that you'd be overselling it to call it a mandate but he's made real gains and completely erased the argument that he was somehow illegitimate because he just happened to fluke an electoral college victory, in an event that would almost certainly never be repeated.

        And I feel sad just reading my own words here.

  13. CGBS

    A bunch of idiots looked up....

    First: Re-read the statement, "drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research and various other reasons." So any Amazon delivery drone, or university research project would all fall under that category.

    Second: the FAA and WH said all along that there was nothing there: ie beyond the recreational drones that increased in number as the hysteria grew, the drones flying all had proper flight plans, etc... Why is this so hard for people to understand? The answer is: Americans are particularly stupid, so yeah, most of what was seen were manned aircraft, and the drones were all (until the end when everyone and their stupid dog put their drones in the air to find the truth, or whatever) flying within the bounds of the law. So sorry the answer doesn't titillate, but next time you see cars on the road you don't know the names of the owners, their country of origin or their destinations, call the local police office and demand this information be collected for you and see what the response is, if they don't simply hang up on you immediately.

    1. Not Yb Bronze badge

      Re: A bunch of idiots looked up....

      There's a whole set of "ufologists" around the world who believe that, since (basically) they can't identify some particular aircraft, it must be "unidentified" and suspicious. The person who launched or flew it always knows.

      It's not limited to the US at all.

  14. UDECIDE

    Truth or lie

    They are lying. What makes more sense? That they weren't breaking the law so the government and FAA hid what was going on or the drones were testing out how well they could spy inside people's homes therefore violating 4th amendment. Aerial observations of the curtilage of a home are generally not prohibited by the Fourth Amendment, so long as the government is conducting the surveillance from public navigable airspace, in a non-physically intrusive manner, and the government conduct does not reveal intimate activities traditionally associated with the use of the home. Now any sitting president wouldn't want to pay out settlements to the people on NJ. You decide which is more likely.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah, that is a clever dodge: of course the drones were authorized -- but the anomalous aerial phenomena was not (which they conveniently ignored because they cannot explain it.) This attempt to muddy the water by conflating drones or balloons with UAP is a tactic which they inherited from the Biden administration. No matter... I do not expect the new administration to explain what appear to be plasmoid craft or projections that sometimes resemble aircraft (except for the un-aerodynamic distortions and illegal lighting schemes, or the extended "mission" duration, or the underwater "flight" capability) ...but this has been occurring all over the world, and compilations of things which look nothing like drones have been widely circulated on social media.

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