Federal agencies and law enforcement officials from Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska have teamed up to investigate mysterious drone sightings across the states, which some claim to be UFO (Unidentified flying object) swarms.
Mysterious Sightings
Since mid-December, sheriff's departments in the border area of the three states have received at least 30 reports of night-time sightings of drone or drone-like objects flying in the sky in formation, sometimes in groups of more than a dozen, as reported by CNET. The FBI, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and US Air Force have also been called in to investigate the sightings.
"Multiple FAA divisions are working closely with federal, state and local stakeholders to try to determine whether the reported sightings in Colorado and Nebraska are drones and, if so, who is operating them and for what reason," the FAA said in a statement on Monday.
Who is behind these swarms?
However, as of now, no one seems to know who is operating these machines. The FAA also added that it had reached out to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites, drone companies and companies authorized to operate drones in the area, but could not find anyone responsible for the swarms.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Air Force might be behind these flying objects, as part of a top-secret counter-drone program designed in part to keep airborne cameras away from the several missile silos in the region where the sightings have been reported. However, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office arranged a meeting with various law enforcement partners, and said that the Air Force had denied any kind of involvement.
Drones or UFOs?
The fact that nobody is claiming responsibility for the swarms has led some to believe that these flying machines are UFOs being controlled by extra-terrestrials. Many concerned citizens have taken to social media to share images and video footage of the mysterious airborne machines. Check out some of the tweets below:
