Air Force Confirms Drone Swarms Over Wright-Patterson AFB Led to Airspace Shutdown; Videos and Reports Released

Newly released Air Force records confirm that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio experienced multiple drone incursions in mid-December 2024, prompting the temporary shutdown of military airspace and a large-scale security response. The disclosure, made through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to The Black Vault, includes incident reports, sworn witness statements, law enforcement documentation, and supporting video footage—all now public for the first time.

The base, one of the most prominent and historically significant in the U.S. Air Force system, initiated emergency procedures on December 13, 2024, after security forces reported observing several unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating in restricted airspace.

Initial sightings occurred at 10:08 p.m., when patrols near the Hot Cargo Pads spotted a drone hovering in the area and heading toward the West Ramp of the installation. The object was described as “black, with four (4) propellers, was roughly 6 inches in size, and had alternating red and green lights.” It was later seen flying over Fire Station #2 at about 20 feet off the ground.

Another report stated that “four quad-copter drones with red and green lights in a tight diamond formation” were spotted, and then “gained altitude and flew away at a rapid speed” once they shined their cars spotlight system on the unidentified objects.

Additional patrols responded, and one unit relayed to command that “there were three (3) additional sUAS flying in a diamond formation.” At 10:30 p.m., the Air Traffic Control Tower issued a full shutdown of Wright-Patterson’s airspace. Security teams conducted coordinated sweeps across both Area A and Area B, as well as the base perimeter, but were unable to identify any drone operators or recover physical debris.

The response concluded at 10:40 p.m., but that was not the end of the unusual aerial activity. A second, separate wave of drone reports came in on December 16, 2024. At 9:38 p.m., a civilian walking his dog near Airway Road and Harshman Avenue called in a report of “multiple unmanned aerial vehicles flying near WPAFB.” According to his account, the drones appeared to be over Area B and “were slowly moving in different directions.”

Responding patrols confirmed sightings near the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. One officer reported, “The objects appeared to be lights moving as a group, but too high up to get an accurate assessment of what they looked like.” Another patrol saw “two blinking red and white objects in the sky moving slowly.”

Air traffic control and the Federal Aviation Administration were contacted. Both agencies confirmed there were “no authorized aircraft operating in WPAFB airspace” at the time.

Sightings escalated through the night. At 10:56 p.m., patrols reported “three unknown objects… hovering in place above gate 26A,” while another was observed moving across what appeared to be the flightline on Area A. At 11:12 p.m., two unknown objects were seen flying above the gym on Area B.

A particularly notable incident was logged at 11:43 p.m., when an officer reported “an unknown aircraft descending towards the flightline on Area A. The aircraft appeared to make it approximately 500ft from landing before ascending again and disappearing.” A second patrol confirmed seeing the same object descend and vanish.

By 12:10 a.m., additional objects were observed flying from Gate 26A toward Bass Lake on Area A. All visual contact was lost by 12:30 a.m., and the incident response was formally terminated at 1:00 a.m.

In one sworn statement included in the released material, a responding officer documented seeing “three to five white lights moving together as a group. I had visuals for about three minutes before I lost sight of the lights.” The statement also confirms that patrols “stayed vigilant… until termination of sweeps at approximately 0100.”

In addition to written records, the FOIA release includes multiple video clips recorded during the response. The videos, taken from various base security sources and mobile patrol units, show blinking or drifting lights consistent with the reported UAS formations. Though limited in quality and visual clarity, they provide tangible visual confirmation of the activity described in official logs.

The incidents occurred during a broader uptick in drone sightings across the northeastern United States in late 2024. The Air Force Times reported on simultaneous arrests in Boston near Logan International Airport and widespread concern from federal and state officials.

While the federal government has not officially attributed these drone sightings to any known group or entity, internal military documentation released in this case confirms that the Air Force considered the events serious enough to halt flight operations, notify outside law enforcement, and deploy thermal imaging assets and full perimeter sweeps.

The scale, persistence, and unknown origin of the aerial objects over Wright-Patterson remain unresolved. However, the newly public materials confirm for the first time the breadth of the response and document what personnel on the ground saw—and recorded—during two nights of high-alert activity.

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Document Archive (Scroll Down for Video Archive)

2025-01757-F Full Document Release Package [65 Pages, 7.3MB]

Video Archive

The following videos were released with the FOIA release, and are archived here as they were received, organized by the original file name. You can either view them via the embedded players below, or download all of the original, unedited, files (archived as released) here: 2025-01757-F-Videos.zip [59.1MB]

 

 

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