Louisiana Air Force base detected ‘multiple unauthorized drones’: military

Speaking to Fox News Digital, a base official confirmed that the US Air Force Base, which houses B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, detected “a large number of unauthorized drones” around it earlier this month.

“Barksdale Air Force Base detected multiple unauthorized drones operating in our airspace during the week of March 9th,” a Barksdale AFB spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday. he said.

The spokesman added: “Flying a drone over a military installation is not only a security issue, it is a crime under federal law.”

The spokesman said base officials are working closely with federal and local law enforcement to investigate the drone sightings.

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“The security of our facility and the safety of our people are top priorities and we will continue to carefully monitor our airspace,” the official added.

Barksdale is east of Shreveport, Louisiana, and covers 22,000 acres with a population of approximately 15,000.

The drone detections come as security at Air Force bases in the United States increases as the war in Iran continues.

A shelter-in-place order was issued on the base on March 9 and was lifted shortly thereafter, but drone sightings continued throughout the week.

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U.S. Air Force B-52H long-range strategic bombers sit on the tarmac at Barksdale Air Force Base in 2007. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

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Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, told ABC News he doesn’t look like your average drone enthusiast.

Bombs wait to be loaded onto a B-52H long-range bomber at Barksdale Air Force Base in 2007. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

“This seemed deliberate and intentional to see how they would react,” he said. “It’s very disturbing to see this probe on a base in the United States.”