Dean

Adept Dabbler
For several weeks in Dec 2019-Jan. 2020, unidentified machines, flying at night in large groups and formations, were reported by numerous citizens and law enforcement officers in NE Colorado and adjacent regions of NE and KS. With at least two U.S. senators and news media demanding answers, top-level FAA officials launched an intensive investigation to find out who was flying the machines.

As a volunteer researcher affiliated with the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, I've spent four months, employing FOIA, to look behind the scenes at that FAA investigation. On July 15, 2020, TheWarZone reported on the results of my investigations, in a 4,000-word article by Brett Tingley.

Those with interest in such matters will wish to read the entire article, which distills literally thousands of pages of emails and other documents. The bottom line what the FAA told Tingley on July 8: "We have not received any information that enabled us to determine what exactly it was that people were reporting seeing and, if they were drones, who was flying them." In other words, the federal authorities still don't know who was operating those machines.

However, the FAA did achieve "high confidence" that no component of the U.S. military was responsible for the mysterious aerial activity. I agree with that FAA conclusion, which is consistent with what I found in documents that I have obtained from the U.S. Air Force and other military components via FOIA.

I will upload here a few samples of documents that I obtained via FOIA. Hundreds of pages of additional documents (mostly emails, with some memoranda, meeting notes, etc.) are in PDF files embedded in TheWarZone article.

Newly Released FAA Documents Give Unprecedented Look Into Colorado Drone Swarm Mystery
 

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nivek

As Above So Below
something truly unexplained was happening over the Colorado Plains. So unexplained that the federal government's own agency tasked with regulating the skies over the United States still has no clue what exactly took place or who was behind it.

So in other words, our government claims not to know what was flying in our skies nor who was manning these objects, sound familiar?...I may have missed this as I haven't studied all the information in great detail yet, are we certain they were drones, as in terrestrial drones we know of, or could these objects be UFOs in the terms of non-terrestrial in origin?...

...
 

Dean

Adept Dabbler
These events took place at night, and many witnesses were unable to see details of the objects (which carried lights of various types). Even so, there were many reports of groups of sizable flying machines with airfoils, including multiple reports of machines approximately six feet long with approximately six-foot wingspans. What we generally refer to as UFOs don't rely on airfoils or aerodynamic lift.

While some of the "mystery drone" reports involved performance beyond that of garden-variety hobby drones -- long flight times on windy nights, etc. -- I saw no reports that involved performance outside of what I understand to be conventional contemporary technologies. However, I am not all that knowledgeable drone tech, so others who examine the FOIA-obtained reports may see interesting aspects that I missed.
 

Standingstones

Celestial
I can’t imagine that any military or spy group would tell the truth to the FAA as to what they were doing. Whoever is behind this has the money and operational skills to perform this over multiple states. That shortens the list as to who is behind this.
 

wwkirk

Divine
These events took place at night, and many witnesses were unable to see details of the objects (which carried lights of various types). Even so, there were many reports of groups of sizable flying machines with airfoils, including multiple reports of machines approximately six feet long with approximately six-foot wingspans. What we generally refer to as UFOs don't rely on airfoils or aerodynamic lift.

While some of the "mystery drone" reports involved performance beyond that of garden-variety hobby drones -- long flight times on windy nights, etc. -- I saw no reports that involved performance outside of what I understand to be conventional contemporary technologies. However, I am not all that knowledgeable drone tech, so others who examine the FOIA-obtained reports may see interesting aspects that I missed.
It seems probable that the military was responsible for the formations. But if so, why did they do it?
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Hadn't been paying attention to this but its interesting. If I read that right the FAA suspects this is related to a gas pipeline.

Drones ain't cheap and any of the ones described would absolutely have to be registered with the FAA. They have to come from somewhere so who would have the resources to do something like that outside the military? A large company interested in natural resources could do it, but why be so secretive? The answer to that kind of question is almost always money. Maybe what they think they're on to is worth the risk - otherwise why take it?

Weird sightings of anything are like turning on the porch light - lots of pests show up. Pile on from intentional hoaxers, attention seekers, people genuinely mistaken or deluded. I see they tracked down a man who claims he shot one down only to find it was a hoax. Thanks for wasting everyone's time. Law enforcement also rather blandly suggested that shooting one down will have negative consequences. Well, yeah.

Maybe there's a more-fun answer. Maybe they've (whoever that is) finally trapped a Bigfoot and need it for their Cyborg- Sasquatch project.
 

Dean

Adept Dabbler
It seems probable that the military was responsible for the formations. But if so, why did they do it?

I can’t imagine that any military or spy group would tell the truth to the FAA as to what they were doing. Whoever is behind this has the money and operational skills to perform this over multiple states. That shortens the list as to who is behind this.

It does shorten the list. But, I agree with that FAA conclusion that no component of the U.S. military was responsible for this aerial activity. That conclusion is consistent with what I found in documents that I have obtained from the U.S. Air Force and other military components via FOIA, some of which were reported here.

More importantly, I don't think that the U.S. military would conduct exotic operations over civilian areas that excite great public attention, and then lie about it to the FBI, DHS, or even the FAA, or to the U.S. senators (two, at least) who were demanding answers.
 
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Dean

Adept Dabbler
Hadn't been paying attention to this but its interesting. If I read that right the FAA suspects this is related to a gas pipeline.

The pipeline-survey was a theory that the FAA investigators came up with early on, in late December. But FAA investigated that theory and many others, as detailed in the many hundreds of internal emails and other documents I've obtained from the FAA, and all results were negative, stricken from the list of possibilities. TheWarZone article deals with that process only in a very distilled fashion. The bottom line: no such "obvious" candidates were responsible for the aerial activity. On July 8, 2020, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told TheWarZone, "We have not received any information that enabled us to determine what exactly it was that people were reporting seeing and, if they were drones, who was flying them."
 

wwkirk

Divine
It does shorten the list. But, I agree with that FAA conclusion that no component of the U.S. military was responsible for this aerial activity. That conclusion is consistent with what I found in documents that I have obtained from the U.S. Air Force and other military components via FOIA, some of which were reported here.

More importantly, I don't think that the U.S. military would conduct exotic operations over civilian areas that excite great public attention, and then lie about it to the FBI, DHS, or even the FAA, or to the U.S. senators (two, at least) who were demanding answers.
So, do you have a preferred explanation or a proposal to explain them?
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Emails that I previously obtained through FOIA indicate that the Air Force was baffled, starting with the AFOSI officers at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and all the way up the line.

Internal Air Force Emails Show Confusion And Concern Over Colorado's Mystery Drones

Refreshing topic - thanks.

I now understand it wasn't FE Warren - was just thinking who in the area would have such resources?

I had to chuckle because it reminded me of a local argument that's been going on for years. A small city nearby has a renovated Hudson River front. Millions in development. The water treatment plant is right there in the middle of it. Once in a while an indescribable funk settles in and causes complaints. They deny any involvement but are the only ones there who happen to have eye watering toxic stench on tap ready to serve .....

Let's hope that whoever is operating them has a benign purpose - as local LE seems to think. If one really did land at a local airport wouldn't that be a thread to follow?
 
That part of Colorado is not close to where I'm sitting, but it's similar in many ways. Sheriffs typically have vast areas to look after, with thin resources because of low population density and comically low taxes. I mean, we bought a fixer upper recently that's on half an acre, in town, on a paved street, and it's a pretty decent place with a garage. Our property taxes are something like $420. Per year. License plates for an average car run about $100 because they went up a lot several years ago. Used to be about $40.

Anyway, I'm sure the local LE was happy to assume it was the Air Force or whoever, so long as they didn't have to keep screwing around trying to solve it.

I didn't see much in the way of local stories about the sightings. That part of the state has no ski hills, no rich "residents" complaining about taxes and whatever else troubles their tender asses, very few breweries, no hipsters, and so on. I'd like to know more about some of the sightings. Like the "potato bombers". Having never heard of SOILPAM Tracklogs, I did a quick search and I'm pretty sure no semi-conscious person would confuse them with potatoes. Yet one of the sheriffs had some in his freezer awaiting analysis, apparently. Because 2020, I suppose.

I'm sure the people out there were seeing something. Either it was aliens or some group of Earthlings spent a lot of money putting on that show.

That area is close to the locations of some notorious ufoology of the fairly recent past, which I don't want to bring up, as well as Weld County where some seriously weird shit went down 45 years ago. I think it was Weld County. I feel I'm getting really close to an internet rabbit hole...
 

nivek

As Above So Below
 

nivek

As Above So Below


I'm just now catching up on this reading, I didn't have time earlier when I posted, turned into another really busy day today for me...Thanks Dean, some great work, this news about that nuclear facility with these drones is disturbing...

...
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Douglas D. Johnson, a volunteer researcher affiliated with the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), was able to obtain a large number of internal documents regarding the September drone incidents at Palo Verde from the NRC via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and kindly shared them with The War Zone.

Excellent work Dean, and its awesome sharing your findings here too, thank you!...These quotes are from The War Zone article you provided a link for in your post earlier, which I'm still reading through all the supplied links...

It wasn't before weaponized drones were careening into and dropping bomblets on Iraq soldiers' heads during the Battle of Mosul that the U.S. military had no choice but to begin to take the issue seriously.

I had no idea the extent these 'over the counter' cheap hobbyist drones have been weaponized, a swarm of them could do some serious damage, this is bold too, taking on a Abram's tank with one of those hobbyist drones...



Four (4) drones were observed flying beginning at 2051 MST [on Sept. 30, 2019] and continuing through the time of this report (2113 MST). As occurred last night, the drones are flying in, through, and around the owner controlled area, the security owner controlled area, and the protected area. Also, as last night, the drones are described as large with red and white flashing lights. Spotlights have not been noted tonight.

These do not sound like cheap hobbyist drones, these sound more sophisticated and well developed, quite possibly built for weaponized attacks...

I do not think lasers are a good defense against drone attacks, however small EMP weapons would be very effective, launched as a small precise missile with a small tightly localized EMP detonation to take out the drone and any other drones flying close to the target area...We could use EMP cluster bombs with very small EMP detonations but multiple ones encompassing the target area to take out drone swarms...They could be detonated by proximity...

...
 

Standingstones

Celestial
Excellent work Dean, and its awesome sharing your findings here too, thank you!...These quotes are from The War Zone article you provided a link for in your post earlier, which I'm still reading through all the supplied links...



I had no idea the extent these 'over the counter' cheap hobbyist drones have been weaponized, a swarm of them could do some serious damage, this is bold too, taking on a Abram's tank with one of those hobbyist drones...





These do not sound like cheap hobbyist drones, these sound more sophisticated and well developed, quite possibly built for weaponized attacks...

I do not think lasers are a good defense against drone attacks, however small EMP weapons would be very effective, launched as a small precise missile with a small tightly localized EMP detonation to take out the drone and any other drones flying close to the target area...We could use EMP cluster bombs with very small EMP detonations but multiple ones encompassing the target area to take out drone swarms...They could be detonated by proximity...

...

I remember when the first drones were available. Everyone was slap happy about them and wanted to buying one. The thing that popped into my mind was that someone will weaponize this in the future. It’s what humans do, don’t they?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
 
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