W.P.A.F.B. — Wright Patterson Air Force Base has confirmed the closure of their airspace Friday night due to drones in the area.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, community members shared their concerns about where these drones came from.
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As previously reported by News Center 7, drone sightings have been frequent in northeastern states.
Bob Purtiman, Chief of Public Affairs said the airspace was blocked for around four hours late Friday night into early Saturday.
Units are monitoring the airspace for the drones, which are called ‘small unmanned aerial systems’ by Purtiman.
“To date, installation leadership has determined none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities, or assets,” Purtiman said.
News Center 7′s Malik Patterson spoke with Ryan Zmuda from Fairborn. He’s been following the national news about the drone sightings.
“Obviously that’s a big concern for national security. People can just fly them around in unrestricted airspace,” Zmuda said. “If they’re shutting [the airspace] down, then it kind of makes you wonder, what are they worried about there?”
Base personnel ask anyone to contact local police or security if they witness any suspicious, small drone activity.
News Center 7 is reaching out to the Department of Defense and the Air Force for information on whether these drones could be connected to the drone sightings in the north east.
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