Unknown Drone Madness

[Jizaboz]

I really should be getting to bed soon but man this has been a crazy night for New Jersey for sightings, possible military activity, and confirmed shady ass local police activity (via police radio scanners) X-Files style. There are now too many reports and too many new videos tonight for this to simply be "Everyone is a moron who can't identify a plane or helicopter" (though there are a LOT of them going around as well as old ass videos) or "total mass hysteria".

Rather than write an essay ATM on what I think is going on to kick this off.. what do YOU guys think is going on?

I'm pretty sure I know what they are. What concerns me is why it's being done at this time..

[Flack]

The FAA's Dedrone program* can identify, track, and bring down drones. I don't know how many major airports they have rolled this out to, but one of the first ones is Atlantic City, so if these drones are flying anywhere near that airport, which they are, the government has the ability to track them and bring them down. The fact that they're not bringing them down is telling; either they can't, which is possible, or they're choosing not to.

These things are too big and there are too many of them to be owned and operated by civilians. I've seen estimates that these drones are at least 6' in size, which requires a pilot's license to own and operate. They also cost tens of thousands of dollars and people are reporting seeing dozens of them at once so unless some multimillionaire is pulling a prank, it's not civilians. They're also being operated illegally without lights and in no-fly zones so again, either they're doing this with government approval or they are facing gigantic fines and 100% jailtime.

So, what does that leave? Well, government spending is going to change after Trump takes office. Musk is a technology guy and one of his big things is that he thinks you can replace people with technology. Just like with Twitter, he laid off 90% of his staff and attempted to replace them with AI scripts. Companies that offer these types of solutions will be a hot commodity in 2025 and will be competing for government contracts. One of Trump's big things is securing the border. A physical wall is expensive and didn't/doesn't work... but monitoring the border with drones (which we kinda sorta already do, but not as well as we could) would be a win for him.

So, putting all this together, here's my theory -- I think a defense contractor is demonstrating a new drone technology to the DOD/military in that area. I think the FAA and other agencies are probably in a gray "need to know" area and part of this test is to see if the drones can be identified, tracked, or brought down, which is the only reason I can think of why they keep flying over the same area over and over -- I think they're intentionally temping someone to try and bring one down so they can show their evasion capabilities. Federal officials are saying "they're not a threat" but aren't saying what they are, which means they either know what they are and aren't saying, or don't know what they are but have been told they aren't a threat. I am only half joking when I say it wouldn't surprise me to see a "Tesla" sticker on one of these things should one get shot down. I can't help but wonder if the reason it's being done in that area is not only because of it's proximity to DC but also because it's an area where not everyone has guns. Here in the Midwest, farmers will shoot down drones if you are flying them over their cattle and harassing them. Fly a bunch of weird drones in Oklahoma and it would be like target practice for hundreds of rednecks.

So, that's my theory -- defense contractor demonstrating new generation of drone technology to the military/government for reasons unknown, probably to be used for border security or some sort of surveillance in the near future.

(*my theories and the information of the Dedrone program come from publicly posted news and information, not any insider knowledge.)

[Jizaboz]

Damn, Flack. Good post!

My theory is basically the same! This appears to be a series of black budget military contract / Space Ops drills.

What I didn't think about however were implications for the border and the whole "less likely to get shot down in this area" thing which are excellent points. My mind was reeling wondering what the tests are even for and thinking of worst-case scenarios.

[Flack]

Well if you want to go really dark, they could be part of a system that tracks people's movements in preparation for a mass deportation exercise.

Either way, there's no way they're being used to "map military complexes," something that can be done (a) in minutes or seconds and (b) from 10 miles up.

Remember that Chinese balloon that was floating over the US? They jammed that signal, waited to see what it was broadcasting, and then shot it down. If they thought these drones served any kind of threat they would put an RPG through the middle of one.

[Casual Observer]

Companies that offer these types of solutions will be a hot commodity in 2025 and will be competing for government contracts.

I wonder how many Silicon Valley studs have even looked into what it takes to get FEDRAMP certification. If they started now they're not competing for anything next year. You're only gonna get the established players next year anyway, anyone already certified is already in deep.

[Jizaboz]

Companies that offer these types of solutions will be a hot commodity in 2025 and will be competing for government contracts.

I wonder how many Silicon Valley studs have even looked into what it takes to get FEDRAMP certification. If they started now they're not competing for anything next year. You're only gonna get the established players next year anyway, anyone already certified is already in deep.

I agree. When I saw some "future aviation" stocks shoot up today I laughed. If they aren't already been in black military tech then they are nowhere near the level of what's going on now.

Also, another interesting thing I've seen is videos of what back in the 1990s we called "TR-3B". Basically a black triangle with no sound, lights on the wings, and a big light in the center of the craft that is sometimes reported as red or amber colored. Wackos assumed they were alien while most thought they were much like how the stealth bomber wasn't unveiled to the public initially for what like 20 years?

Rumors are starting to fly that the craft are looking for nuclear material rather than a drill.. this MAY explain all the helicopters, but that doesn't quite smell right to me yet. Even here where I live there was more big ass helicopter activity this afternoon and tonight than usual. Something is going on and I really wish the public was told more.