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Two U.S. Air National Guard F-16C Vipers and one U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter were scrambled to intercept a possible drone near one of President Donald Trump's backup planes, according to flight tracking data and Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio.
The maneuvers were spotted, using ADS-B Exchange data and ATC recording, by conspiracy theory debunking website Metabunk, reported on by The Warzone and posts from the flight tracking X account Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51).
When Newsweek put these reports to Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base for comment, it did not deny them. Newsweek has also contacted the White House and the U.S. Air Force, via email, for comment.
What To Know
The SAM47 USAF Boeing C-32A/757 was reportedly supposed to land at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base, in Washington D.C., when a "potential drone" sighting delayed it.
The "potential drone" was seen over Freeway Airport, around 10 miles north of Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, according to the audio.
A spokesperson from the 89th Airlift Wing, which is responsible for the presidential airlift unit and its mission, at Joint Base Andrews told Newsweek: "There was no operational impact to any 89th Airlift Wing aircraft landing at Joint Base Andrews, Md. on January 26, 2025. Aircrew followed Air Traffic Control instructions and landed uneventfully."
In the audio, the ATC operator can be heard telling the pilots of SAM47: "You can expect some delay, I have a scramble in progress" before he tells the Coast Guard helicopter, callsign 'BLACKJACK01', and the F-16s, callsign 'BRAVE01', that the target of interest was a "potential drone." Later in the clip, the operator addresses a second F-16, BRAVE02.
Eventually, the F-16s returned to Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base and the MH-65 returned to Reagan International Airport—none of which intercepted the "target of interest." The C-32A landed without incident.
The Context
It comes amid a mystery regarding drones in the U.S., with hundreds reportedly spotted in Northeastern states such as New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, raising concerns about security threats and speculation of foreign involvement.
Drones have also been spotted over American bases in the U.K., including RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, and Feltwell in eastern England between November 20 and 22.
Some American officials have even called for a state of emergency to be declared, with President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers calling for the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to be shot down.
Federal agencies will continue to investigate the sightings. Newsweek has broken down why it is difficult to deal with these incidents here.
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About the writer
Jordan King is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her current focus is on religion, health, food safety and ... Read more