FAA Releases SKYWATCH Records on WPAFB Drone Incursions
The Federal Aviation Administration released internal SKYWATCH system documents revealing new details about drone swarms over Wright-Patterson AFB in December 2024. The records, obtained under FOIA case 2025-04622, include the previously unreported black cube sighting.
Background
On August 11, 2025, The Black Vault published previously classified Federal Aviation Administration records documenting multiple unauthorized aerial incidents at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. These materials emerged from Freedom of Information Act case 2025-04622 and originated primarily from the agency's SKYWATCH operations security platform.
The disclosure supplements earlier Air Force records released under case 2025-01757-F, adding crucial radar data and pilot reports to the public record. Most notably, the FAA files contain documentation of a black cube-shaped unmanned aerial system observed at high altitude on December 19, 2024, a detail absent from military releases. This publication illuminates the scope of coordinated drone activity targeting sensitive defense installations during December 2024.
The released dataset provides chronological continuity between previously fragmented reports, establishing clear patterns of systematic surveillance operations against critical aerospace research facilities.