Governor Kathy Hochul on Sunday said that US officials are sending a drone detection system to New York after questions over mysterious objects in the skies over the east coast and beyond grew in recent days.
According to a BBC report, Hochul had requested the federal assistance after drone sightings forced runways at Stewart International Airport in the state to shut for an hour last week.
“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are sending a drone detection system to New York,” BBC quoted Hochul as writing in a post on X on Sunday.
She emphasised that state governments require more authority to handle small, unmanned aircraft, which have been reported in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
Further west, in Ohio, drone sightings also prompted the closure of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for about an hour on Friday night, according to the BBC report, citing local media.
“Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones,” Hochul said in the post, after last week promising to “do whatever it takes to ensure New Yorkers remain safe”
Senator Chuck Schumer expressed his hope on Sunday to pass legislation granting local law enforcement more authority to investigate unidentified flying objects, stating, “I’m pushing for answers amid these drone sightings.”
According to the BBC report, he also called for a drone detection system, similar to the one heading to New York, to be deployed in New Jersey, where most of the aerial encounters have been reported.
Despite calls for increased support, Hochul and other officials have reassured the public that the suspected drones do not pose a national security threat.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/united-states/us-deploys-drone-detection-system-in-new-york-amid-mystery-sightings-13845048.html.
