| ID | #1629722655 |
| Added | Mon, 23/08/2021 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | |
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Hypothesis
|
Initial data
On February 9, 2021, a US Customs and Border Protection helicopter collided with a so-called "highly modified drone" hovering in controlled airspace over Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Police Department helicopter was called in to help the helicopter chase the small plane, but the drone, or something else, was able to overtake both of them as it flew through military airspace, deftly maneuvering.
The drone had unusual maneuverability and eventually disappeared into the cloud cover at an altitude at which helicopters could not fly safely. A police report previously obtained by The War Zone showed that the team described the drone as "very sophisticated / specialized" and "capable of operating like no other UAV" they had previously encountered, reports UfoSpace.net with a link to The Drive
Now we have a real recording of the helicopter's conversations with air traffic controllers in Tucson during the incident, as well as a recording of the conversation between the crew and the control tower. From conversations heard on recordings that The War Zone obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration under the Freedom of Information Act, it is clear that all parties involved in the incident were confused by the operation of the drone, noting that it turned out to be "super-complex" and possibly controlled from a satellite.
In a recording of the 70-minute incident made by an air traffic control dispatcher, a helicopter crew member can be heard describing the drone as a "dim flashing light", and also notes that he cannot track it while wearing night vision goggles. In the conversation, the helicopter crew repeatedly indicates that the drone is located directly over the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or over the fuel tanks to the west of the base.
The crew can also be heard wondering what the dimensions of the unmanned aerial vehicle might be, repeatedly stating that its high speed and impressive maneuverability make it difficult to get a decent visual identification. During the hour-long chase, law enforcement crews say the mysterious ship was essentially playing with them, repeatedly hovering over the propellers of their helicopters, about 1,000 feet above them. At some point (around 60: 55), the air traffic controller says:
"We passed the information as high as possible" and "we called Washington," presumably referring to the federal office in Washington, D.C., quite possibly the national headquarters of the US Federal Aviation Administration.
In the second recording of a telephone conversation between the air traffic control tower at Tucson International Airport and the helicopter crew, recorded the day after the collision, a helicopter crew member notes that the drone maintained a speed of 75 knots with a headwind of 30 knots.
"So you think it was a drone?" a Tucson Tower employee asks during a conversation.
"Yes, there was definitely a drone," a helicopter crew member replies.
"I just couldn't tell you - I couldn't give you its dimensions, because it was moving ... it's too schematic for us to ... I assure you, it was not a quadcopter, and it was the most advanced drone of all that we have. His abilities were just incredible, I just ... I can't tell you exactly its size."
Then a Tucson Tower employee asks if it could have been a larger UAV, such as the MQ-1 Predator.
"It's not the size of an airplane," the helicopter crew member replied.
"Judging by what I can only tell by its marker light, you know, I had to imagine that it was bigger than a quadcopter, and I guarantee you that it was not like a quadcopter, judging by how long it was in working condition - it must be satellite... it is controlled because there is no line of sight, there is no cell phone that could handle it, so it has to be controlled via satellite, which is damn difficult."
Then a member of the helicopter crew complains that he can't delay the plane, saying that he really wanted to find out what technology was on board the drone. In addition to these audio recordings, The War Zone received a mandatory air traffic incident report, which was filed the day after the incident. The report compiled by the helicopter crew contains a summary of the incident.
Original news
n February 9, 2021, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter encountered what was described as a “highly modified drone” hovering in controlled airspace above Tucson, Arizona. A Tucson Police Department (TPD) helicopter was called in to aid the CBP aircraft in its pursuit of the small aircraft, but the drone, or whatever it was, was able to outrun both of them as it flew through military airspace, deftly maneuvered around both helicopters with bizarre agility, and ultimately disappeared into cloud cover above the altitude the helicopters could safely fly. A police report previously obtained by The War Zone showed that the TPD crew described the drone as “very sophisticated/specialized” and “able to perform like no other UAS” they had previously encountered. Now we have the actual audio from the CBP helicopter’s interactions with air traffic controllers in Tucson during the incident, as well as audio from an after-action call between the TPD crew and the air traffic control tower.
From the conversations heard on the recordings, which The War Zone obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it’s clear that all parties involved with the incident were baffled by the drone’s performance, noting that it appeared “super sophisticated” and possibly satellite-controlled. If you haven't yet caught up on the Tucson mystery drone saga, be sure to read our most recent reporting.
In the air traffic control (ATC) recording of the 70-minute long incident, the CBP helicopter crew member can be heard describing the drone as a “dim flashing light,” and also notes that he cannot track it while wearing night-vision goggles. In the call, the helicopter crew repeatedly identifies the drone’s location as directly above Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or the fuel tanks just west of the base. The crew can also be heard wondering what the unmanned air vehicle’s (UAV) size might be, repeatedly stating that its high speed and impressive maneuverability made it difficult to get a decent visual identification.
Throughout the hour-long pursuit, the law enforcement aircrews can be heard saying that the mystery craft was essentially playing with them by repeatedly positioning itself directly above their helicopters’ rotors, some 1,000 feet above them. At one point (around 60:55 in the runtime of the recording below), the air traffic controller says "we filed this up as high as we can" and "we did call Washington," presumably meaning a federal office in Washington, D.C., quite possibly the FAA national headquarters.
In the second recording, a phone call between Air Traffic Control tower at Tucson International Airport and the TPD helicopter crew recorded the day after the encounter, the helicopter crewman notes that the drone maintained a speed of 75 knots in a 30-knot headwind. “So you think it was a drone?” the Tucson tower employee asks during the call. “Yeah was definitely a drone,” the TPD helicopter crew member replies. “I just couldn’t tell you - I couldn’t give you its dimensions as it was moving... too sketchy for us to... I assure you it was not a quadcopter, and it was the most advanced drone we’ve dealt with over the last decade here. Its abilities were pretty incredible, um, I just - I can’t tell you exactly its size.”
The Tucson tower employee then asks if it could have been a larger UAV like an MQ-1 Predator. “It’s not aircraft-sized,” the TPD helicopter crew member replied. “From what I can tell just from its position light, you know, I would have to imagine it was larger than a quadcopter, and I guarantee you it was nothing like a quadcopter from how long it was up - it has to be satellite-driven because there’s no line-of-sight, there’s no cell phone coverage that could have dealt with that, so it has to be satellite-driven, which is pretty freakin’ sophisticated.” The helicopter crew member then laments not being able to apprehend the craft, saying he really wanted to see what type of technology was aboard the drone.
In addition to these audio recordings, The War Zone has obtained the FAA's Air Traffic Mandatory Occurrence Report filed the day after the incident occurred. The report, filed by the crew of the CBP helicopter, contains a summary detailing the encounter:
PILOT OF TROY164 (AS50) REPORTED A NMAC ON FREQ 118.3. REPORTED UNKNOWN UAS LESS THAN 100 FEET, 12 O'CLOCK. HAD TO DESCEND IMMEDIATELY AND TURN TO AVOID. MADE 360'S TO LOCATE THE DRONE. DID LOCATE THE DRONE ABOVE HIM AND TRACKED IT UNTIL AIRE 2 ARRIVED. DRONE CIRCLED BETWEEN BOTH HELOS AND CLIMBED UP TO AND ABOVE AN ESTIMATED 12000 FEET AND TRAVELED 10 MILES NORTH/NORTHEAST TOWARDS MT. LEMMON. PILOTS UNABLE TO FULLY IDENTIFY TYPE OR COLOR OF DRONE DUE TO NIGHTTIME CONDITIONS AND MANEUVERABILITY OF UAS. ATTEMPTED TO CAPTURE CAMERA FOOTAGE BUT UNABLE, PURSUED FOR OVER 60 MINUTES UNTIL CONTACT LOST IN VICINITY OF MARANA AIRPORT.
UAS MOR_Redacted.pdf
We continue to pursue our investigation of the Tucson “mystery drone” and will update our reporting as more information comes to light. Thanks again to Dan Marries of KOLD News, a local CBS affiliate out of Tucson, Arizona, who initially broke the story and has provided additional details to The War Zone.
Tucson police chase mystery drone across the city at more than 100 mph
July 7, 2021
Author: 12 News
Hypotheses
UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs, also sometimes shortened as BLAH; colloquially sometimes referred to as "drone" or "drone" (from the English. drone — drone)) — aircraft without crew on Board. Created for aerial shooting, monitoring ground objects and other tasks in real time.
Distinguish UAVs for military and civil purposes.
Also they are divided into:
Investigation
Resume
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