Drone flights banned at New Jersey energy infrastructure sites

The FAA announced restricted drone flights more than 22 energy infrastructure sites across New Jersey. The ban comes amid public concern over these items, which has reached a fever pitch since mid-November when we broke the story about a drone incursion over Picatinny Arsenal. Although this story was very limited but concerned drone incursions into bases, it has since evolved into a frenzy regarding drones invading much of New Jersey. Evidence that this is the case is difficult to prove.

Despite the restrictions, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues “to assess that there is no threat to public safety related to the reported drone sightings,” the department said today. “In coordination with the FAA and our critical infrastructure partners who have requested temporary flight restrictions over their facilities, out of an abundance of caution, the FAA has issued temporary flight restrictions over certain critical infrastructure facilities. critical infrastructure in New Jersey. “

These red circles, 21 of them, represent the new TFRs over New Jersey… Temporary Flight Restrictions. Allegedly prohibiting aircraft from flying over electricity or energy production sites or transmission sites. The Ministry of Defense will shortly hold a press briefing.

Attention : @0ctoberReignz pic.twitter.com/becnfc8iBV

– Scott Anthony (@RadarOps) December 19, 2024

“While DHS and our federal partners continue to see no evidence of a threat, the goal of the TFR is to deter drone flights around these areas, as requested by critical infrastructure partners,” emphasized the DHS. “DHS and other security partners regularly request the FAA to establish TFRs to restrict drone flights in areas where drones could be dangerous or pose a security risk.”

The restrictions affect drones operating below 400 feet and last until January 17. It is always possible that the deadline will be extended or that other communities will have their airspace closed in the same way.

DHS provided us with a list of all sites requesting ISF. They mainly concern the Electricity & Gas Public Service (PSE&G) facilities.

• Hope Creek Power Plant – Hancock Bridge, NJ (4/8565)

• PSE&G Athenia Switching Station – Clifton, NJ (4/8585)

• PSE&G Bayonne Switching Station – Bayonne, NJ (4/8586)

• PSE&G Burlington Switching Station – Burlington, NJ (4/8584)

• PSE&G Camden M&R – Camden, New Jersey (4/8570)

• PSE&G Cedar Grove Switching Station – Cedar Grove, NJ (4/8574)

• PSE&G Central Gas – Edison, New Jersey (4/8611)

• PSE&G Cox’s Corner – Evesham, NJ (4/8571 – unpublished)

• PSE&G Gloucester Switching Station – Gloucester, NJ (4/8569)

• PSE&G Deans 500k substation – South Brunswick (4/8566)

• PSE&G Bayway Switching Station – Elizabeth, NJ (4/8599)

• PSE&G Branchburg – Branchnurg, New Jersey (4/8603)

• PSE&G Harrison M&R – Harrison, New Jersey (4/8600)

• PSE&G Kuser Road Substation – Hamilton, NJ (4/8583)

• PSE&G Metuchen Amtrack Substation – Metuchen, NJ (4/8614)

• PSE&G Westampton M&R – Westampton, New Jersey (4/8612)

• PSE&G New Freedom Switching Station – Winslow, NJ (4/8598)

• PSE&G North Brunswick – North Brunswick Township, NJ (4/8578)

• PSE&G Utility Command Center – Bridgwater, NJ (4/8616)

• PSE&G Hudson Switching Station – Jersey City, NJ (4/8602)

• PSE&G Kearny Switching Station – Kearny, NJ (4/8541)

We have contacted PSE&G for comment and will update this story with any relevant information provided.

A host of new temporary safety flight restrictions (red circles) are active in the State of New Jersey. The majority are SFC-400′ within 1 mile around some switching or power generation sites. Picatinney Arsenal is the outlier with a TFR of 3 miles, SFC-2,000′.
– pic.twitter.com/zpYOricOzc

– TheFrogIntel (@TheIntelFrog) December 19, 2024

The restrictions could have been adopted to minimize the normal activity of civilian drones in order to better detect and classify more problematic activities and even establish if there actually are any. It might also be useful to establish aerial “life models” above these areas to better understand what would be considered abnormal and refine the types of responses required. At the same time, imposing these restrictions on critical energy facilities indicates their vulnerability and the fear that they could be targeted, which makes sense from a contradictory point of view. We have yet to see any evidence that this is an imminent possibility. However, like us have reported on several occasionsDrones pose a danger to energy infrastructure and harmful and bizarre drone activities at these sites are an ongoing problem. What appears to be the first real drone the attack on a power plant in the United States took place in 2020which caused concern in the intelligence community.

Issued only for drones, TFRs “do not impact manned aviation, including airplanes and helicopters,” DHS emphasized. Additionally, there is no blanket ban on drones, DHS explained.

“There is an established process for requesting a waiver to fly in these TFRs, if necessary,” DHS said. The TFR explains that drones can only fly over these cities under the following conditions: in direct support of a genuine national defense, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue mission or disaster response. Additionally, they may be flown if supporting events or business operations with a valid statement of work.

These are not the first TFRs issued in relation to drone sightings in Jersey. As we previously reportedthe FAA promulgated two bans on drone flights without prior authorization Arsenal Picatinny and the Trump Bedminster National Golf Course. The Picatinny TFR went into effect on November 25 and ends on December 26, while the one on Trump National launched on November 22 and was scheduled to end on December 6, but was later extended until December 20.

Regardless of the ISF, the White House continued to downplay its concerns.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said ABC Newif Hello America In Wednesday’s broadcast, there is “nothing” indicating that the increase in reported drone sightings constitutes a national security risk.

“Drones are being used and all we are seeing so far is that they are being used for lawful purposes,” he said.

White House spokesman John Kirby said “there is nothing” to indicate that the increase in reported drone sightings poses a national security risk: “Drones are being used and everything we’re seeing up to ‘now they are being used for lawful purposes. » pic.twitter.com/2AoKLAQXyB

– Good Morning America (@GMA) December 17, 2024

The FBI said that of some 5,000 sighting reports, fewer than 100 merited further investigation. Yet hysteria around drones has grown to the point where the FBI and New Jersey State Police I had to plead with the public Do not shoot lasers or bullets into the sky at an object flying overhead. The warning was not hypothetical. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst officials said The war zone that the pilots of 15 fixed and rotary wing aircraft at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst had reported being hit by lasers from the ground since December 7. One of these pilots had to seek medical attention but was quickly released, but all planes involved landed safely. NJ.com was the first to report the incidents, but officials say they don’t know who fired the lasers.

All this comes as drone incursions are being reported over military bases at home and abroad.

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in southern California confirmed at The war zone Tuesday that it had experienced several incidents of this type above its airspace in recent days. It joins a growing list of military installations in the United States that have suffered recent drone incursions, which also includes Hill Air Force Base in Utah, which reported Monday. Drones also flew over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, forcing the closure of its airspace, that we were the first to report. They also intruded Airspace of Naval Weapon Station Earle and several unknown aircraft recently followed a Coast Guard vessel.

Last month, drones also appeared above four US Air Force bases in the UK, another story we told for the first timeand more recently also Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Drone incursions on key US bases And workout ranges are nothing new and The war zone has been at the forefront of covering this topic for years. TWZ broke the story major drone incursions over Langley AFB a year ago, marking a major shift in how the DoD approached this overlooked threat. Other such incursions involving UAS have taken place off the coast of America and, in addition to military bases, key civil infrastructure has also been visited by mysterious drones.

The new TFRs are another indication of how the government is trying to figure out what’s happening in the skies, but the Biden administration has just over a month to find the answers. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has said he believes the government knows more than it claims and that the public should be informed about the nature of the objects. Assuming there is anything to be said, beyond incursions of military installations.

In the meantime, the issue remains shrouded in social media hyperbole, poor messaging, and speculation, with panic filling the resulting information void.

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