Drone Armada Buzzed US’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant and Authorities Still Have No Clue Why
The incident took place last year, and has led to heightened fears about the security of America’s energy infrastructure.
A tiny armada of between four and six unmarked drones flew over the Palo Verde Generating Station nuclear power plant in Arizona on the nights of September 29 and 30, 2019, with plant security proving unable to stop them and authorities still uncertain who was operating them or why.
Details about the incident were uncovered in a trove of documents released by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after Dean Johnson, a researcher with the Scientific Coalition for Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Studies, put in a Freedom of Information Act request with authorities.
During each incident, the drones reportedly flew through the secure perimeter, over the gates and into the plant proper, after which they hovered over the facility for some time before leaving.
In the documents obtained by Johnson, it’s specified that on September 29 at about 8:50 pm, security reported spotting five-six drones measuring about two feet in diameter flying about 200-300 feet over the plant, with red and white indicator lights flashing and spotlights turned on during approach. The lights were then turned off, and the UAVs idled near Reactor 3 for over an hour before leaving the area.
On September 30, at 8:51, four drones returned, with spotlights turned off this time, and again remained in airspace over the plant for some time before vanishing.
Documents indicate that the local sheriff’s office was notified about the incident, and searched for the drones and their operators in the vicinity, but turned up empty-handed. The FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Homeland Security were contacted.
https://sputniknews.com/us/202008021080039772-drone-armada-buzzed-uss-largest-nuclear-power-plant-and-authorities-still-have-no-clue-why/
more details: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34800/the-night-a-drone-swarm-descended-on-palo-verde-nuclear-power-plant
https://twitter.com/ddeanjohnson/status/1288578864252424199