For some reason @BC seems like a good commentator for this one.

Unfortunately, BC doesn't have a clue about the drones. Zip. Zero. Equally (or worse) unfortunate is that nobody else seems to have a clue either, or they aren't saying.

Hobbyist and commercial drones usually are not designed to travel very far. How far depends on battery power, weight, design quality, and environmental conditions. Military drones can travel a long way -- 1000+ km. As far as I know (not much) a low-flying drone might evade radar.

So, it's possible that the drones could originate from a ship somewhere on the ocean. That would be quite worrisome, imho. Foreign powers harassing innocent New Jerseyans? Don't know.

I have been against drones from the get go because I hate the idea of a lot of machinery flying at low altitude over neighborhoods. Granted, they have some utility, but they are also just more clutter and junk. I don't like Elon Musk's low-orbit flocks of small satellites fucking up the night sky, either.

Supposedly, drones have been spotted over Minnesota. True? Or copycat? Don't know.

There have been reports for quite some time of people interfering with aviation by using lasers directed at plane cockpit windows. The lasers are capable of blinding a pilot. Another interference, more recently, has been people shooting airplanes. Why? Don't know. Are the aviation harassers related to the drones? Could be but don't know.

Satellites enable countries to surveil the world in pretty fine detail. It doesn't seem like a foreign power would need drones for that purpose. Attack planning? Don't know.

Are the drones interfering with commercial aviation? If so, the sky should be cleared. There are reliable devices which could be used for this purpose.

The government's limp-dick response to this is similar to its erectile dysfunctional response to the unidentified balloon floating over the country.

Crazy people?

Even more odd is

The government's limp-dick response to this is similar to its erectile dysfunctional response to the unidentified balloon floating over the country. — BC

I was actually quite surprised about the White House responses from this. It was basically an insult to those New Jerseyans, and they seem pretty adamant that they do not want them there and that they should be downed.

Crazy people? — BC

That seems to be what the White House is implying- mass hysteria, nothing to see here. They have people taking out enemies thousands of miles away, but can't take care of a few drones in the homeland? All of it is odd.

Also, drones have been showing up in the UK over military installations as well.

I find it interesting it happened after the congressional hearings on UAP.

I don't get it either as to why what certainly seems like a problem is being treated as nothing. I don't understand why a military would tolerate being surveilled by drones; they generally have fences around bases to keep prying eyes out.

Without going into conspiracy territory, it does make one wonder why the government is so casual about it.

Amazon or the like doing test runs?
At least the areas seem right, but maybe not that plausible, you'd think someone would speak up.

Amazon successfully tests using delivery drones in Italy (— Reuters · Dec 5, 2024)

Amazon's drone delivery program takes flight (— CNBC · Dec 10, 2024 · 2m:4s)


Amazon poised to launch European drone delivery service after Italy flight tests (— Aerospace Testing · Dec 13, 2024)

Without going into conspiracy territory, it does make one wonder why the government is so casual about it. — BC

Yep

No definitely not this ha. They wouldn’t skirt FAA regulations for weeks and have technology that goes dark when detected.

Were the phenomena nefarious it would not have the blinking colored lights similar to aircraft.
Unless they are meant to be seen and the magnitude of observations and commentary studied for national security.

Or, mostly private airplanes or helicopters.

Military or other government agency contractors? My fascination is more the Pentagon and National Security Council’s response and the (possible) gaslighting even to congressman and local officials who are adamant these are unmanned drones and are unusual and not mass hysteria.

Granted, they have some utility... — BC

Pizza and beer delivery to your backyard pool party?

I want my beer and pizza delivered by a hot handsome guy, not a whirring machine. Delivery drones are just another way of eliminating jobs. A drone would be a good way to deliver frozen vaccines to isolated clinics in Africa which are otherwise very hard to reach while maintaining the cold chain.

What do you think of the federal government response as opposed to local officials? Government gaslighting or local hysteria?

Again, this increase in drones is, according to some, a global phenomenon, especially near military sites.

@Hanover @tim wood

Any ideas, thoughts, observations, theories?

Any ideas, thoughts, observations, theories? — schopenhauer1

Someone must know what they are or they'd have been shot down by now. So far, they've not done anything interesting.

My feeling is we work so hard to maintain the right to be armed in this country, you'd think we'd be more excited to finally have a menacing target to shoot at.

My feeling is we work so hard to maintain the right to be armed in this country, you'd think we'd be more excited to finally have a menacing target to shoot at. — Hanover

:lol:

Someone must know what they are or they'd have been shot down by now. So far, they've not done anything interesting. — Hanover

Yes, my theory is government contractors. Notice they don't seem to have people ask if they are NON-military government assets or from contractors for the government. Everyone keeps re-asking about military. Well, why don't they ask if they are NON-military government (or government contractor) assets/testing??

Another theory here is that it is part of an effort to get legislation passed for more (federal?) authority to take out drones. Thus you need the hysteria to allow for the legislation. The legislation would be offered as "benign" (see you need us). However, this would (presumably?) contradict the notion that it is a government asset. OR, they would have to pin the blame on something benign/banal even if it was. That would be going down more conspiratorial routes, but eh, governments lie all the time I am presuming for "security".

Concern, anxiety, worry, fear, etc. with respect to something that seems abnormal (and may or may not be) is infectious--not just on social media, but in social settings. People get wound up.

IF the drones actually are harmless commercial vehicles, I would be happier if the government had a clear grasp of how many of these things are flying around, who owns them, how they are identified, and how they are policed--if they are. I'm pretty sure the government isn't keeping track. Free enterprise is once again doing its thing and running amok.

Amok: behave uncontrollably and disruptively from the Malay word, mengamok, meaning to make a furious and desperate charge.

Concern, anxiety, worry, fear, etc. with respect to something that seems abnormal (and may or may not be) is infectious--not just on social media, but in social settings. People get wound up.

IF the drones actually are harmless commercial vehicles, I would be happier if the government had a clear grasp of how many of these things are flying around, who owns them, how are they identified, and how they are policed--if they are. I'm pretty sure the government isn't keeping track. Free enterprise is once again doing its thing and running amok.

Amok: behave uncontrollably and disruptively from the Malay word, mengamok, meaning to make a furious and desperate charge. — BC

Yep, as I replied to Hanover here:

Another theory here is that it is part of an effort to get legislation passed for more (federal?) authority to take out drones. Thus you need the hysteria to allow for the legislation. The legislation would be offered as "benign" (see you need us). However, this would (presumably?) contradict the notion that it is a government asset. OR, they would have to pin the blame on something benign/banal even if it was. That would be going down more conspiratorial routes, but eh, governments lie all the time I am presuming for "security". — schopenhauer1

I also explained above that I think it's government contractors or another government agency than the military. Notice how they don't seem to allow questions asking if it is NON-military assets? They only keep repeating the question of if it's the military. Here was the first time:

I originally had a video up but there was a better one that captured more. On that one, I noticed that the reporter first asked if it was "American drones", and then the press secretary stuttered, and the reporter followed up narrowing the inquiry to whether it was only "US military drones". And this allowed the press secretary to deny the more narrow question but not the broader one. I wonder if the reporters themselves were prompted not to ask, or what that was.

Of course, the more "tin foil hat" theory is that these are NHI (non-human intelligence). The idea is that they’re being produced in an ocean base where aliens reside, mimicking human drones, which is why they have colored lights that follow US FAA regulations. A neat trick, though, is that they "go dark" when helicopters try to follow them- whatever that means. Maybe they turn off their lights and evade radar detection?

There’s definitely heightened awareness of flying objects since that US congressional hearing about UAPs (formerly UFOs), where it was alleged the government is hiding its knowledge of them, including retrievals and reverse engineering programs.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of it. A disinformation campaign? Crazy conspiracy theorists humored by Congress? Or... it’s all real :)! The disclosure crowd claims the government is slowly preparing us by releasing bits of UAP information so we get used to the idea before they reveal the full truth.

Hey, if it sounds like Hollywood, it probably is- but I like that scenario. Way cooler than everyday stuff. Still, people insist this is happening. Yet, apart from grainy pilot videos, there’s no solid first-hand proof. Every time witnesses were asked for details, they said they could only discuss it in confidential settings, which I’m not sure were even authorized.

@Leontiskos surely you have a theory.

@Wayfarer @Tom Storm anything to share on it?

To my way of thinking they're a trespass, a nuisance, and a disturbance of the peace, all compelling a response. And I don't buy it that no one seems to know anything about them. Obviously some people do. But otherwise I haven't paid much attention. Be nice to know how big they are and how high they're flying.

But otherwise I haven't paid much attention. Be nice to know how big they are and how high they're flying. — tim wood

:up:

Wayfarer Tom Storm anything to share on it? — schopenhauer1

I got nothing. Do we have a photo of one of these drones? I’ve heard they are almost car sized.

Good question. Everything I see is video from a person on the ground's perspective, so just lights. Some of them seem like propellor ones and others seem like fixed wing, but hard to tell just from the video footage. You can Google "New Jersey Drones" and you'll see a bunch of videos and news coverage on it.

Here's a more sobering take:



But that's what the big government wants you to think :joke:

:cool:

I've seen a few photos but nothing particularly clear.

Usually whenever some US foreign policy debacle is unfolding, they start rolling out stories of UFOs, spy balloons, and now drones, apparently.

It's easy to get caught up in the news slop claiming this is 'totally important', only for it to be forgotten a week later.

Yeah, but to be fair, congressional hearings about UFOs would seem to create the atmosphere of looking for strange stuff in the sky. I see you have a theory of “why this now”.

There does seem to be an increase in both drone activity and UAP sightings around the world, including stuff that doesn’t look or act like any man made one’s. There’s a lot of confidential stuff supposedly they have but is kept top secret. It’s always the secrecy that’s more fascinating. It’s weird as some people are saying there's a “there”there, and others deny it exists.