WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is requesting a formal briefing from the country's aviation, defense, and intelligence communities on recent mysterious drone sitings over some Northeastern states, including Connecticut.
In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Defense, the senator raised concerns about these unidentified aircraft occupying heavily trafficked airspace and flying over military installations.
“The proliferation of reported drone activities in this region raises significant safety and security concerns for both commercial and private aviation as well as national security concerns,” wrote Blumenthal. “Incidents involving drones interfering with aircraft operations have increased, posing a real and substantial risk to passengers, crews, and others in the vicinity. And, I am particularly concerned about the potential for these unmanned aerial vehicles – many of which are as large as a car— to disrupt air traffic and, more alarmingly, to be used maliciously to threaten national security.”
Blumenthal is asking the FAA to provide a briefing about the agency's plan for dealing with these aircraft, stating at "the briefing should cover all details available regarding these drones as to ownership, operation, impacts on aviation, national security, and privacy."
You can read the full letter here.
Drone sightings over New Jersey, in particular, have increased in recent days with videos and photos posted to social media. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has also voiced frustration over the lack of transparency into the federal government's investigations.
The White House has stated that a review of the aircraft shows that many of the reported sightings were of manned aircraft flying lawfully. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said that there have been no reports of aircraft in restricted airspace and that the Coast Guard has no record of aircraft being launched from foreign vessels.
Tricia Ennis is the Director of Digital Content at FOX61 News. They can be reached at tennis@fox61.com.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iOS: Click here to download
Android: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
