Official records indicate that the US Army has spent years developing and testing “counterterrorism” drones in New Jersey, fueling claims that the government is concealing information about the aircraft.
In 2018, the Army awarded a $50 million defense contract to a private robotics company to develop drones capable of producing 3D maps of urban environments for a “counter weapons of mass destruction” program.
The contract was issued by the Army’s Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC), based at Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway, New Jersey. The facility is also located near the area where mysterious drones were first reported last month.
Documents show that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a flight restriction alert on November 21, banning flights over Picatinny Arsenal for “special security reasons” through December 26.
The White House has said the drone sightings—which began coincidentally on November 18—were not linked to a foreign adversary, posed no threat and were not part of a US military operation.
Retired CIA intelligence officer Rudy Ridolfi told DailyMail.com: “This FAA notice shows that US drone testing is taking place in the area. It is a warning for others to stay away during those dates.
“Although the nature of the testing is not specified, it is most likely connected to reconnaissance-related payloads.”
Matt Sloane, founder of drone consultancy AI Skyfire, told DailyMail.com that the sightings could involve “a contractor developing these drones for DoD [the Department of Defense].”
The Department of Defense can deny claims involving third-party technology if the drones have been placed on a secure technology list for contract disclosures, meaning the government has imposed special restrictions on the information.
Ridolfi said such restrictions are used to protect national security or prevent hostile nations from learning about advanced systems. If the government is not directly operating the drones, the developer would retain primary liability, he added.
Experts have suggested that the government could be behind the New Jersey drones, with defense contractors potentially testing unmanned aerial systems for the Department of Defense at Picatinny Arsenal
A Picatinny Arsenal spokesperson told DailyMail.com: “We can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal or DEVCOM Armaments Center (formerly ARDEC) directed actions.”
The Army contract was awarded to Maryland-based Robotics Research.
The FAA alert could indicate that the contract permitted drone testing in a public area.
“They could have been testing them somewhere else on a military installation, and it may now have been time to move the testing into a public area,” Sloane said.
“The military has locations around the country that are away from prying eyes. Perhaps it was simply time to take that testing into a more public phase.”
Although drones have been reported across large parts of New Jersey, the White House has pointed out that more than one million drones are legally registered in the United States. Officials have also said that some sightings could involve hobby aircraft, airplanes or even stars.
Sloane compared the reports with a similar drone mystery in Colorado between 2019 and 2020, when swarms of aerial vehicles were seen across the state.
Local reports at the time suggested the drones were part of “a secretive Air Force program intended to keep prying eyes away from nuclear missile silos” near Cheyenne.
Air Force Global Strike Command, based in Louisiana, confirmed that it conducts counter-drone exercises from F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne.
The drones began appearing in mid-November over Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway, which is also home to the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), where new military drone technologies are developed
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The aircraft were described as having “flashing or steady white, red or green lights.”
The Colorado episode also echoes the current situation in New Jersey, where residents and local officials have demanded answers.
The Colorado drones were also rumored to be searching for missing radioactive material, a theory that has resurfaced in connection with the New Jersey sightings.
“I think, at the extreme, this could be a search operation [in New Jersey],” Ridolfi said.
“One argument against that, to some degree, is that the vast majority of sightings have taken place at night. If this were truly a national security issue, they would be operating around the clock.”
Sloane said drones tested by a government contractor could carry a wide range of equipment.
“There are cameras, gas detectors and radiation detectors,” he said.
The FAA flight restriction issued last month said the temporary ban was based on national defense and security concerns. It prohibited other aircraft from flying within a two-mile radius of the base and below 2,000 feet.
Exceptions included operations supporting national defense, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, disaster response and event support, as well as commercial flights covered by a valid statement of work.
When asked about the restriction over Picatinny Arsenal, an FAA spokesperson said the agency was unaware of the alert.
Picatinny Arsenal, in Morris County, develops advanced conventional weapons systems and ammunition. The facility has also supplied Ukraine with weapons for its war against Russia.
The White House has said the drone sightings—which began coincidentally on November 18—were not connected to a foreign adversary, posed no threat and were not part of a US military operation (stock)
The Federal Aviation Administration also issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) covering Picatinny from November 21 through December 26, restricting flights over the base for “special security reasons”
Morris County was the first area to report the sightings, prompting 21 mayors to send a joint letter calling on New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to take statewide action.
The initial reports raised fears that a foreign power was spying on Picatinny Arsenal. However, the White House has assured the public that the drones were not operated by Russia, China or Iran.
“I do think it is interesting that [the drones] are using position lights,” Sloane said.
“If I were a foreign adversary trying to spy on something, I probably would not put red and green lights on my drone.”
By December 10, Picatinny Arsenal had recorded 17 confirmed and unconfirmed drone sightings over its territory since November 13.
The earliest confirmed sighting was reported by security personnel, while the unconfirmed reports came from unidentified individuals, including local residents.
Under the contract, Robotics Research was tasked with conducting technical demonstrations of sensing technologies for autonomous unmanned systems and designing systems around those capabilities.
The program focuses on autonomy, 3D and 4D mapping, localization, target identification, tracking, collective 3D visualization, weapons-system integration for unmanned autonomous systems and communications in subterranean environments.
