The US mainland may be over 10,000 km away from the battlefield in Iran, but it has been in the thick of action as well. Ever since the US and Israel bombarded Iran on February 28, there have been multiple suspicious drone incursions over two US military bases. Drones have been spotted over the Barksdale Air Force Base and at Fort McNair in Washington, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth live. The drone sightings have thrown US security into a tizzy as Iran is not known to possess such long-range UAVs. Where did the drones come from? What was the purpose?
The US seems to have some answers after nearly three weeks since the first wave of drones was spotted over the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, one of America’s largest and most strategic airfields. It is also the headquarters of the US Air Force Global Strike Command. The drone swarms were first spotted on March 9, according to a report in ABC News. Multiple waves of 12-15 drones have been observed till March 20.
The drone flights lasted for around four hours each day. US officials told Hong Kong-based Asia Times that it was an unusually long loiter time for a drone.
HOW DRONES IMPACTED IRAN OPERATION?
The drone incursions sparked panic. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the airbase, which houses B-52 bomber aircraft and is a vital cog in the US’s operations in Iran. Such orders are generally issued for short-term threats. It was the first time that a US airbase was briefly put out of operation during wartime. It never happened even during World War II.
The March 9 attack disrupted launches of the B-52H aircraft as part of Operation Epic Fury. The B-52 jets were carrying air-to-ground missiles and “bunker buster” bombs. Satellite images on March 11 showed that these were used to target the Taleghan-2 nuclear facility at Iran’s Parchin military complex.
Experts suggested that the delay in B-52 aircraft operations might have given Iran more time to move critical resources.
In subsequent days, each wave of drones forced the US to halt operations and send its personnel to shelters, Asia Times reported. Crucially, the Barksdale base is part of the US’s nuclear triad, housing long-range nuclear cruise missiles.
A confidential document accessed by ABC News suggested that the drone operators were likely testing “security responses” at the base. The incursions have also brought the drones themselves into the spotlight. As per US officials, the drones were likely “custom-built” and capable of high-tech surveillance operations.
“Between March 9-15, the security forces observed multiple waves of 12-15 drones operating over sensitive areas of the installation, including the flight line,” the document said.
WHO WAS BEHIND DRONE INCURSIONS?
Notably, the Barksdale base does not have air defences to take down drones. While it does have electronic countermeasures to disable GPS, the system failed to work, the report in Asia Times said.
Analysts are of the view that the drones were likely equipped with multiple sensors, which directed the behaviour of each UAV and its response to jamming attempts.
As per US officials, such sophisticated drones were well beyond Iranian capabilities. Then who was behind the drone incursion?
While the US has not officially blamed any country, the report pointed to China as being the best equipped to produce such drones. Drones that had a never-before-seen range and could resist broad-spectrum jamming. Officials suggested that the operators were well-trained, and the UAVs were likely smuggled into the US.
Intelligence experts have previously suggested that Iran might be using China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system to target Israel and US military assets across the Gulf. However, the US has not explicitly said if China, Iran’s close ally, was providing any tacit support to Tehran in the war. US offiicials have, however, publicly asserted that Russia has been feeding intelligence to Iran.
The incident over Barksdale has undoubtedly sent alarm bells ringing in American security circles amid the high-octane Iran war. It has left the US scrambling for answers on who might be behind the drone flights and what it sought to achieve.
