Nuclear Power Plants Report Massive Uptick In Drone Sightings
The number of drone flyovers of nuclear plants in 2024 nearly doubled in just one week, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 17, according to data provided to The War Zone by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, nuclear facility licensees reported a total of 15 drone events. As of about 1 p.m. on Dec. 17, that number had jumped to 26, NRC spokesman Dave McIntyre told The War Zone on Friday in response to our query. While the timeline overlaps with a rash of drone sightings across the country and especially in the New Jersey area – including over military installations and energy infrastructure – it is unclear at the moment what, if any, connection there is to the dramatic increase in suspicious drone events over nuclear facilities.
“… before January 2024, nuclear power plant licensees voluntarily reported flyovers by uncrewed aerial systems, such as drones, to the Federal Aviation Administration; law enforcement (local and the FBI); and the NRC,” McIntyre told The War Zone. “Because reporting was voluntary, our information may not reflect the total number of UAS overflights of nuclear power plants.”
