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Newly Released FAA Documents Give Unprecedented Look Into Colorado Drone Swarm Mystery (Not US military?)
The Drive ^ | July 15, 2020 | Brett Tingley and The War Zone staff

Posted on 07/16/2020 11:10:18 AM PDT by CedarDave

As covered in previous reports by The War Zone, law enforcement agencies in numerous rural counties in eastern Colorado and adjacent areas of Nebraska and Kansas received an influx of reports of large drones flying in formations at night for a period of several weeks during December 2019 and early January 2020. Many law enforcement personnel were among the reporting witnesses. In short order, the “mystery drone” wave also elicited serious expressions of concern from at least two U.S. senators and attention from Colorado’s governor and state public safety agency. The activity soon drew the attention of regional and later national news media, as well.

Now, The War Zone can offer an unprecedented inside look at what was going on behind the scenes within the FAA, which was leading a task force to solve the drone mystery. Not only is the confusion within the agency made clear, but we now have multiple highly credible official reports from trained observers from the timeframe when the objects were present in the region. Many of them match to a remarkable degree and they allude to a unique arrangement in which a large drone seems to have been accompanied by a fleet of smaller ones. We also have the latest conclusions, or lack thereof, of what the FAA thinks actually was happening over those peculiar weeks last winter.

Over the past several months, Douglas D. Johnson, a volunteer researcher affiliated with the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), has utilized the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain many hundreds of pages of emails and other pertinent documents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other federal agencies regarding the mystery-drone flap and has made them available to The War Zone. In addition, hundreds of additional relevant pages have been located, but are still being processed by the FAA. The FAA is also currently withholding some key documents, citing FOIA exemptions.

Nevertheless, the documents already released suggest that the FAA, despite a short-lived, but strenuous effort, was unable to determine the origin of the flying formations of sizable aerial devices reported by many credible witnesses in December and January. Senior FAA officials were able, however, to conclude that "there is high confidence these are not covert military activities."

The released documents contain no evidence that any federal criminal laws were broken by whoever was operating the devices, although the FAA has withheld at least one key document discussing the legal issues surrounding the case. No document yet released suggests that the mystery drones ever encroached on any U.S. military installation, or even into any airspace that was under special FAA restrictions.

In a statement to The War Zone, Johnson summarized his impressions after months of research into a subject that he still considers far from closed:

"For at least a couple of weeks, the mystery drone flap had the serious attention of top FAA leaders, and at least two U.S. senators. The FAA assigned apparently capable investigators, and mobilized resources from multiple FAA components. The assistance provided by other federal agencies such as the FBI, DHS, and military was apparently quite limited, because of the absence of evidence of criminal intent, or of a proximate threat to military assets or other critical infrastructure. Once the aerial activity stopped, it appears that both federal and state agencies quickly dropped the matter - I have not yet seen any evidence of a continuing federal investigation, although there are many documents still not released."


TOPICS: Local News; Military/Veterans; UFO's; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: colorado; drones; enemyactivity; faa; surveillance; ufo; ufos
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Much, much more to the article at the link including verified sightings by law enforcement.

I have farm friends north of Lovington, New Mexico who earlier this spring were visited on several occasions by low flying drones at night and who reported it to the local sheriff. This article indicates that the sighting was not unusual in that there have been many similar sightings in rural ranch and farm areas in Colorado and Kansas.

1 posted on 07/16/2020 11:10:18 AM PDT by CedarDave
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To: KC_Lion

Ping.


2 posted on 07/16/2020 11:16:04 AM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: CedarDave
I read this article earlier today. Interesting stuff.

Too bad no one captured a photo, given the omnipresence of smart phones.

What did your friends think this was?

3 posted on 07/16/2020 11:16:07 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: CedarDave

Drone countermeasures for property owners sounds like a budding industry.


4 posted on 07/16/2020 11:16:46 AM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: CedarDave

So, who are they?!

Really strange!


5 posted on 07/16/2020 11:17:10 AM PDT by Sir_Ed
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To: CedarDave

This is about swarms of hundreds of drones seen at one time in one place in may states - not military not civilian - user/users unknown. All investigations so far go nowhere. Since no laws were broken FBI and others cannot pursue. No known photos


6 posted on 07/16/2020 11:19:58 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: CedarDave

I would think that a New Mexico rancher might just be inclined to shoot at a drone. It makes me wonder about the legaility of doing so. If someone is flying a drone over your property, is it legal to shoot it down? Would it matter if it was a “government” drone or a “private” drone? What rights do you have to airspace? I know a jetliner at 35000 feet is not a trespass. But a low-flying drone above your property? Seems WAY different to me. Enquiring minds want to know.


7 posted on 07/16/2020 11:20:37 AM PDT by 2big2fail
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To: Sir_Ed
So, who are they?!

Military, without doubt. They kept the activity away from our military reservations like a large-scale test, but away so as not to trip a defensive response.

Fast-forward to the last couple weeks and we see stuff mysteriously blowing up in Iran. Almost like Colorado was a dress rehearsal, huh?

8 posted on 07/16/2020 11:24:13 AM PDT by Tallguy (Facts be d@mned! The narrative must be protected at all costs!)
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To: 2big2fail

SSS.


9 posted on 07/16/2020 11:24:29 AM PDT by Eagles6
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To: CedarDave

I blame Nazis in Antarctica.


10 posted on 07/16/2020 11:26:13 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: CedarDave

It wouldn’t be that hard for one controller to control a modified fleet of drones and make them fly in formation.


11 posted on 07/16/2020 11:27:06 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: RoosterRedux

They don’t know, but they said the drones were concentrated over their livestock which are cattle and hogs. I sent them a link to the article last night.


12 posted on 07/16/2020 11:30:57 AM PDT by CedarDave (Public schools are nothing more than government-run radical propaganda indoctrination centers.)
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To: Sir_Ed

“So, who are they?!”

-Cartels moving drugs
-Terrorist practicing for an attack
-Drone manufacturers doing R&D out in rural areas
-gov’t practicing on doing surveillance of public.
-groups of drone enthusiast getting together.

Could be anything


13 posted on 07/16/2020 11:32:52 AM PDT by setter
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To: CedarDave
I find it funny that they're avoiding the term "Unidentified Flying Objects". Just because they've apparently got noisy whirring propellers that make them noticed at night doesn't make them any more "Identified" as to source, purpose, or who's controlling them. If it's little green men, they're probably in a shade of camouflage khaki and not really so little.

Swarms of militarized drones attacking an enemy position at night sounds like a great tactic, and would require lots of testing and practice. Why on inhabited land instead of at White Sands or such? Maybe to gauge how stealthy or noticeable they are over civilian populations.

14 posted on 07/16/2020 11:34:32 AM PDT by katana
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To: setter

You forgot:

- drones controlled by AI that has become sentient and is preparing to destroy humanity


15 posted on 07/16/2020 11:41:35 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: 2big2fail

“Several documents refer to local law enforcement officers hearing gunshots from the ground during several drone sightings. At the January 6 meeting, federal representatives advised local officials that it is a violation of federal law to shoot at an aircraft.”


16 posted on 07/16/2020 11:46:36 AM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: ClearCase_guy

I hate Antarctica Nazis.


17 posted on 07/16/2020 11:47:24 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: CedarDave
Living here on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay we see & hear these formations frequently in the spring and fall...

Strangely, it almost seems as though they are always heading south in the fall and heading north in the spring...

There are many of us patriots here who stand ready to grab our shotguns and begin blasting away whenever they land nearby...

Dang military won't screw with us and get away with it!

18 posted on 07/16/2020 11:48:53 AM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is Sam Adams now that we desperately need him)
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To: katana

“Just because they’ve apparently got noisy whirring propellers”

Described as totally silent in the article. But seems like I did hear a report at the time of drone-like noise(?).


19 posted on 07/16/2020 11:50:23 AM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: CedarDave

Could be a business trying out a new product.


20 posted on 07/16/2020 11:52:35 AM PDT by Lazamataz ("Black Lives Matter" becomes "Terse TV Blackmail"..... #AnagramsNeverLie)
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