Recent satellite evidence appears to contradict concerns raised by Congressman Jeff Van Drew regarding Iranian drone carrier movements.
The congressman said “These drones should be shot down. Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can’t imagine, or whether it is Iran — and I think it very possibly could be — they should be shot down. We are not getting the full deal and the military is on alert with this.”
However, imagery from both Sentinel 2 optical systems and Sentinel 1 SAR radar dated December 11 showed the vessels remained anchored at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, challenging suggestions about their ability to cover approximately 11,000 kilometers in three days.
While Van Drew says that his sources are “very qualified” and “reliable,” the Pentagon has refuted his claims.
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“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called ‘mothership’ launching drones toward the United States,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told Fox News.
Meanwhile, a confirmed drone surveillance incident unfolded at a US military installation. Federal authorities arrested Chinese national Yinpiao Zhou on Monday at San Francisco International Airport for allegedly conducting unauthorized drone surveillance of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Zhou, who was attempting to board a flight to China when arrested, is accused of flying a drone for nearly an hour over the military installation, reaching altitudes of approximately one mile. Base security personnel discovered him with the drone concealed in his jacket, accompanied by another person who had recently arrived from China on November 26.
A federal search warrant revealed aerial photographs of the base on the device, and investigators found evidence that Zhou had researched “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules” approximately one month before the incident.
If convicted, Zhou faces up to four years in federal prison on charges of failing to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violating national defense airspace.
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