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Newly Obtained USAF Reports Expose Drone Breaches at Plant 42, Home to B-21 Raider and Other Top Secret Programs, Sparking Espionage Concerns

Christopher Sharp

Written by Kyle Warfel and Christopher Sharp - 12 February 2025

Newly obtained documentation from the United States Air Force (USAF), acquired by Liberation Times, reveals seven recorded instances of drone incursions over USAF Plant 42 and Palmdale Regional Airport, California, between 2 August and 9 August 2024.

The documentation shows official USAF reports describing rotary-wing drones with blinking lights and camera systems repeatedly hovering over sensitive areas, prompting patrol responses, off-base pursuit attempts, and coordination with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), with assessments suggesting the drones operated beyond typical hobbyist capabilities.

The reports refer to the objects seen as UXS, meaning Unmanned X Systems, a broad military designation for unmanned aerial, ground, or maritime systems.

Base personnel reported that the objects had camera systems, suggesting potential foreign surveillance activities over one of the U.S.’s most sensitive installations, home to top secret facilities operated by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman - a concern backed up by Commander Reports, which state the incursions reflected ‘potential surveillance/espionage.’

Furthermore, the Commander Reports state that, ‘UXS appeared to have coordinated arrival, departure and flight paths and times.’

The incursions prompted patrol responses and disruptions to flight line operations, according to reporting.

Alarmingly, throughout all seven nights of drone activity, no countermeasures were operational, leaving the objects completely unchallenged.

Commander reports add, ‘currently there is no authorized detection or defeat capability available to the Defense Force.’

That contradicts reporting from Breaking Defense in 2022, when officials acknowledged that the facility had a ‘geo-fence’ that ‘knocks out small drones that users attempt to fly overhead.’*

Such was the alarm, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department helicopters were brought in to assist on two separate occasions. 

Despite the frequency and persistence of the incursions, the reports state that no photos or videos were recorded.

Incursion #1 - Site 4 Targeted, Tracking Efforts Fail

The first recorded drone incursion at Plant 42 began on 2 August 2024, at around 10.17 PM, when security personnel notified the Base Defense Operations Center that two drones had been seen ‘heading southbound towards site 4.’

Over the next few hours, multiple sightings followed—four drones hovering, circling, and manoeuvring over Site 4’s parking area before drifting west toward Sierra Highway.

By 11:55 PM, the drones had left the area, but security forces weren’t finished. 

Determined to uncover their origin, the Flight Chief and S2I intelligence personnel initiated an off-base pursuit at 12:10 AM. 

Despite efforts to track at least one drone to its controller, the pursuit came up empty—the drones had disappeared into the night without a trace. The report states:

‘Flight Chief and S2I initiated an off-base pursuit of one of the Drones to track and discover its final destination, with negative results.’

Incursion #2 - Drone Hovers Motionless For 25 Minutes

The second recorded drone incursion occurred in the early hours of 3 August, beginning at 9:39 PM.

Security personnel tracked five drones manoeuvring across multiple locations within the Plant 42 complex, with sightings at Sites 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9.

One drone, however, stood out. At 12:30 AM, it took up a fixed position over Site 7, hovering motionless for 25 minutes.

Finally, it drifted westward and out of sight at 12:55 AM, along with the other drones. Security personnel marked their flight paths, but once again, no operator was located, and the mystery deepened.

Incursion #3 - Security Forces Pursue Drones Off-Base And Fail

The third drone incursion at Plant 42 took place late at night on 4 August, beginning at 10:19 PM. 

Security patrols detected five drones manoeuvring over Sites 1, 3, 4, and 5, moving southeast in a coordinated pattern.

At 10:24 PM, the Flight Chief and Commander launched an off-base pursuit, tracking two of the drones as they moved southeast beyond Plant 42’s perimeter. 

The chase extended as far as 110th Street East, but neither the drones nor their operator were found. At 12:21 AM, security teams expanded their efforts, setting up additional lookout positions at Avenue N and Avenue O, yet once again, the pursuit ended with no results.

Incursion #4 - Sheriff’s Department Helicopter Joins The Hunt

The fourth drone incursion occurred on the night of 5 August, beginning at 8:48 PM. 

Security personnel first detected a drone with a flashing red light moving westbound across Site 2, heading toward Site 4.

Moments later, a drone emitting a flashing green light was reported between Sites 3 and 4.

Concerned by the escalating activity, the FAA tower was contacted, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) helicopter was brought in to assist. 

The helicopter briefly spotted a flashing red light in the distance but ultimately lost contact.

Meanwhile, at 9:30 PM, ground patrols reported ‘two solid white lights and one flashing red light’ moving eastbound, later seen heading north toward Site 5’s fire station. 

By 10:05 PM, all drones had vanished westward, and additional off-base surveillance efforts failed to locate their operator.

Incursion #5 - Mystery Light Aircraft Observed

The fifth recorded incursion took place on the night of 6 August.

An Office of Special Investigations (OSI) team - that had been posted to Plant 42 - briefly spotted a low-flying object heading west, but they were unable to identify it.

It was observed to be an unidentified light aircraft, comparable to a Cessna 172, approaching Plant 42 from the north-northwest. It flew directly over the facility, and then shut off its navigation lights and, possibly, its transponder. 

The aircraft loitered over the area in an erratic flight pattern before eventually departing undetected.

Despite an active LASD helicopter in the area, no visual confirmation of the aircraft was apparently made. 

Incursion #6 - Drones Assessed To Be Operating Above Hobbyist Capabilities

The sixth incursion occurred at 9:19 PM on 7 August, when security personnel at Plant 42 spotted a drone hovering over Site 4’s parking lot. 

Within seconds, it shifted westward, vanishing into the night.

Minutes later, a drone was seen drifting over Site 1. A drone was then seen moving around Building #553.

The pattern continued for nearly two hours, with five drones detected, circling and loitering over key areas before finally dispersing westward by 11:05 PM.

According to an intelligence assessment, ‘weather data during incident shows UXS can operate above hobbyist capabilities.’ 

Incursion #7 - Two Solid Green Lights Observed

The seventh and final recorded incursion occurred late at night on 9 August, beginning at 8:54 PM.

Security teams detected four drones manoeuvring in coordinated patterns over multiple locations.

The drones displayed red, green, and white blinking lights, moving south before looping back east, then west again.

At one point, security personnel observed two solid green lights travelling southwest from Avenue N and 40th Street East, while a drone with a blinking red light flew over Site 9, reaching an estimated altitude of 2,000 feet and speeds of 25 mph. 

Despite patrol efforts, all drones vanished westward by 9:18 PM.

An intelligence assessment concluded that the activity followed a consistent pattern, with the objects ‘split distinctly in a north / south grouping and depart west and southeast.’

The assessment reinforced earlier concerns that the drones demonstrated ‘capabilities above hobbyist levels.’

Plant 42’s Sensitive Activities

According to the DreamnlandResort website, Plant 42’s sites are composed of the following:

It means that many of the sightings occurred over Site 4, associated with Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider, the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft.

Speaking to Liberation Times about the new revelations, The Hill opinion contributor Marik Von Rennenkampff told Liberation Times:

“The consecutive, daily incursions over the Palmdale Regional Airport and the facilities at Plant 42, which host some of the United States’ most sensitive aerospace infrastructure, amount to yet another remarkably brazen display of impunity by an unknown actor over critical infrastructure.

“On their face, these incursions suggest espionage or, potentially, a bizarre, unannounced ‘red team’ exercise. However, per usual, no hard evidence - such as imagery or video - has emerged to conclusively identify the nature of the objects. 

“At the same time, that the objects intentionally displayed bright lights as they hovered for extended periods seems to conflict with any espionage hypothesis, only deepening this years-long mystery.

“The incursions share an uncanny similarity with other remarkably brazen ‘drone’ incursions over Langley Air Force Base, isolated nuclear testing facilities in the middle of the Nevada desert, sensitive U.S. military sites in the UK, in proximity to nuclear missile silos in the U.S. Great Plains, around advanced warships over 100 miles off the shore of California, and, most recently, over multiple sensitive military facilities in Germany. 

“Despite extensive investigative and pursuit efforts, no operators were located in any of these perplexing incidents. How - despite the suite of advanced sensors available to the U.S. government -  can such brazen incursions continue with zero answers as to the nature or origin of these objects? 

“Who is leaving the U.S. military, law enforcement, and, ostensibly, the intelligence community utterly clueless? The FBI’s recently-revealed UAP Working Group has its work cut out for it.”

Drone and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings in the area emerged in mid-August 2024, with one social media account commenting;

‘Multiple individuals have shared their accounts, describing a bright light, a hovercraft-like aircraft, and unusual flight patterns, including abrupt stops and zigzag movements followed by a northerly trajectory.’

As reported by The Warzone, in the months leading up to August 2024, multiple drone incursions were reported over Plant 42, prompting increased monitoring and coordination with the FAA.

In response to rising UAS activity, temporary flight restrictions were imposed on 14 August, extending two nautical miles around Palmdale Regional Airport and up to 1,000 feet AGL, with violations carrying potential criminal penalties. 

Palmdale Regional Airport shares its runways with U.S. Air Force Plant 42, a critical hub for aerospace innovation. The facility houses Lockheed Martin’s renowned Skunk Works advanced projects division, along with similar cutting-edge research arms of Northrop Grumman and Boeing. NASA also operates a flight testing centre at the site. 

The incidents reveal a troubling pattern of escalating incursions over some of the United States’ most sensitive military sites around the globe, including the United Kingdom and Germany. 

Despite efforts to track and counter these unidentified craft, not a single one has been brought down or captured, nor have their operators been identified, according to publicly available information.

In December 2024, numerous drone sightings were reported across New Jersey, including over military installations such as Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle.

By December 2024, a Department of Defense statement acknowledged that officials from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and FAA had ‘been unable to determine who is responsible for flying the drones.’

Despite this uncertainty, in January 2025, the Trump administration stated that the FAA had approved the drones for research purposes and that many belonged to local residents. 

However, this claim is questionable, as the FAA later imposed temporary flight restrictions over parts of New Jersey and New York.

In January 2025, a policy brief provided to the incoming Trump administration proposed the creation of a senior White House advisor, referred to as the Emerging All-Domain Technologies (EADT) “czar,” to coordinate U.S. action in addressing the dual challenges of advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), collectively termed EADT.

The brief, drafted by the UAP Disclosure Fund’s Lue Elizondo, who previously led the Pentagon’s UAP investigation, known as the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, or AATIP, stated:

‘UAP can no longer be distinguished entirely from UAS and other EADT, hobbling our domain awareness and response. The presence of UAP and UAS around U.S. nuclear facilities is especially disturbing, jeopardizing our strategic deterrent and international stability.’

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration plans to establish this position to address the growing threats posed by UAS and UAP.

Notes: You can find the reports by clicking here - the storyboard reporting records can be found by clicking here.

*Article updated on 13 February 2025

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