Airspace around US Air Force base in Ohio closed for hours between Friday and Saturday.
Drone activity caused officials to close airspace over one of the United States’ most critical Air Force bases for almost four hours late Friday and early Saturday, according to a base spokesperson and a Notice to Airmen posted on a federal website.
Bob Purtiman, chief of public affairs for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, said that the airspace remained restricted for approximately four hours from late Friday into early Saturday, while authorities monitored the situation.
The drones, referred to as “small unmanned aerial systems,” were being monitored by base units, Purtiman told WHIO. “To date, installation leadership has determined none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities or assets,” he said.
Wright-Patterson, about five miles outside the city of Dayton, is home to critical US Air Force commands, including the Air Force Research Lab, which bills itself as looking for ways to counter “technological advancements (that) bring threats to our way of life,” according to a video on its website.