Federal Officials Will Deploy High-Tech System to New York After Drones Shut Down Airport, Governor Says

‘I’m grateful for the assist, however we’d like extra,’ mentioned New York Gov. Kathy Hochul concerning the rash of latest drone swarm sightings.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced that the federal authorities will ship a “a state-of-the-art drone detection system” to her state amid quite a few drone sightings throughout New York and New Jersey in latest days that has prompted alarm.

Whereas she didn’t elaborate on the system that will probably be deployed, it “will assist state and federal regulation enforcement of their investigations,” she mentioned in an announcement on Sunday morning.

“I’m grateful for the assist, however we’d like extra. Congress should go a regulation that can give us the facility to deal immediately with the drones,” the governor wrote on social platform X across the identical time. She urged Congress to go the Counter-UAS Authority Safety, Security, and Reauthorization Act that can give states “the authority and assets required to reply to circumstances like we face at this time.”

It’s not clear if the federal authorities despatched an identical system to New Jersey, the place a lot of the drone sightings have occurred, or in different states. Over the weekend, swarms of drones have been noticed in different states alongside the East Coast, together with Maryland.

On Saturday, Hochul mentioned {that a} drone sighting shut down Stewart Worldwide Airport, a small airport positioned in Orange County inside the Hudson Valley.

“Final evening, the runways at Stewart Airfield have been shut down for about one hour as a result of drone exercise within the airspace,” the governor mentioned in an announcement. “This has gone too far.”

Hochul then known as on the federal authorities to supply help in coping with the unmanned automobiles, including that federal guidelines make it troublesome for the state to cope with drones.

“Extending these powers to New York State and our friends is crucial,” the governor additionally mentioned. “Till these powers are granted to state and native officers, the Biden administration should step in by directing further federal regulation enforcement to New York and the encompassing area to make sure the protection of our essential infrastructure and our individuals.”

Federal officers previously week have pressured there isn’t any proof the drones pose a safety or public security menace to the US, whereas additionally asserting the drones should not being operated by a international adversary akin to Iran or China.

On Sunday morning, Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas instructed in an ABC Information interview that the drones additionally weren’t flying round delicate navy websites.

Regardless of the assurances from federal officers, a number of elected officers have known as on the federal government to shoot the drones down.

“Can this actually be taking place with out our authorities’s data,” President-elect Donald Trump wrote on social media over the weekend. “I don’t assume so! Let the general public know, and now. In any other case, shoot them down.”

A number of lawmakers, together with Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), have made related ideas. One Democrat, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), informed reporters final week that the drones additionally ought to be “shot down, if mandatory.”

“We ought to be performing some very pressing intelligence evaluation and take them out of the skies, particularly in the event that they’re flying over airports or navy bases,” he mentioned.

The Related Press contributed to this report.