Footage from USS Zumwalt mystery drone swarm incident released

[UM-Bot]

The footage was captured during an incident in 2019 involving multiple unidentified drones buzzing a US navy vessel.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/360452/footage-from-uss-zumwalt-mystery-drone-swarm-incident-released

[bmk1245]

Some amateurs flying quadcopters, launched from the boat, or even from the shore.

[Portre]

3 hours ago, bmk1245 said:

Some amateurs flying quadcopters, launched from the boat, or even from the shore.

At 17 nautical miles (~20 miles), probably not from shore.  I think commercial drones max out at a few miles (not a drone devotee, so I'm basically clueless here).  Perhaps from a small boat, too small to be picked up by radar, but close enough to buzz the Zumwalt?  But then, how does a little boat find the Zumwalt 17 nautical miles from shore?

[bmk1245]

4 minutes ago, Portre said:

At 17 nautical miles (~20 miles), probably not from shore.  I think commercial drones max out at a few miles (not a drone devotee, so I'm basically clueless here).  Perhaps from a small boat, too small to be picked up by radar, but close enough to buzz the Zumwalt?  But then, how does a little boat find the Zumwalt 17 nautical miles from shore?

Well, DIY folks are quite capable, whether offshore or offboat.

I'd say 'Zumwalt' manufacturers should be concerned about it.

[Portre]

2 minutes ago, bmk1245 said:

Well, DIY folks are quite capable, whether offshore or offboat.

There's also the "line of sight" limitation.  The horizon from shore or boat is only about 3-4 miles (You do the math ).  

[bmk1245]

5 minutes ago, Portre said:

There's also the "line of sight" limitation.  The horizon from shore or boat is only about 3-4 miles (You do the math ).  

Put it on GPS track, and only limit is the energy resource.

[pallidin]

I've had drones for many years. Love what they can do and the video footage.

My current drone is a modest DJI Mavic Air 2. It rocks! Of course there are even better one's.

Not sure I would buzz around a military ship though.

[astrobeing]

54 minutes ago, Portre said:

There's also the "line of sight" limitation.  The horizon from shore or boat is only about 3-4 miles (You do the math ).  

It's a lot farther when the drone in up in the sky.

[Portre]

3 hours ago, astrobeing said:

It's a lot farther when the drone in up in the sky.

Thanks, but the drone doesn't get above 1000ft.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Portre

[Portre]

3 hours ago, bmk1245 said:

Put it on GPS track, and only limit is the energy resource.

Okay, that's credible, but the video narrative has the object circling the ship and changing elevation from 300ft to 1000ft.

Is it credible those maneuvers can be part of the GPS track?

Can a drone on a GPS track even locate the ship? Or for that matter, could someone in a boat find the ship out in the ocean at night, and get close enough, without being "seen" by the Zumwalt?

Others question I'll just throw into the mix:

Was the Zumwalt moving at the time of the video?

Was the Zumwalt on a routine solo mission, or part of a larger task group?

[bmk1245]

1 hour ago, Portre said:

[...]

Is it credible those maneuvers can be part of the GPS track?

[...]

What maneuvers?

1 hour ago, Portre said:

[...]

Can a drone on a GPS track even locate the ship? [...]

No. GPS isn't 'locator'.

1 hour ago, Portre said:

[...] Or for that matter, could someone in a boat find the ship out in the ocean at night, and get close enough, without being "seen" by the Zumwalt?

[...]

 

RCS (radar cross section) would be that of the bird (goose, for example).

1 hour ago, Portre said:

[...]

Others question I'll just throw into the mix:

Was the Zumwalt moving at the time of the video?

Was the Zumwalt on a routine solo mission, or part of a larger task group?

You'd have to ask the captain.

[Portre]

Ok, let me try again. The Zumwalt is 17 nautical miles (~20 miles) from Camp Pendleton (shore), it's approximately 3:35am and there are 6 UAS's flying over and circling the ship.

If the object was a drone, it could not be controlled from the shore. It's too far.  The horizon is less than 4 miles (which you can't see because it is very dark).  You don't have line of sight and a preset GPS track cannot locate, track, flyover and circle the ship.

So, the drone was controlled from a boat.  How do you locate a ship out at sea, when it is very, very dark and is essentially in the middle of nowhere? The Zumwalt would have radar, sonar, other "ars" plus lookouts with night vision binoculars. The horizon, which can't be seen since it's very dark, is less than 4 miles. Note that the lookouts high up on the ship have a farther horizon than someone in a small boat. How does a small boat surreptitiously get to within 4 miles and follow the ship without being detected? 

I am not saying the objects were extraterrestrials. I'm saying I don't understand how a drone (or several since the narrator describes 6 UAS's) can do what the narrator of the video described.

[astrobeing]

20 hours ago, Portre said:

Thanks, but the drone doesn't get above 1000ft.

Math shows it doesn't have to get above this arbitrary height.

[Portre]

2 hours ago, astrobeing said:

Math shows it doesn't have to get above this arbitrary height.

Narrator in video said elevation of object ranged from 300ft to 1000ft.

[pallidin]

Well, my MA2 does 400-feet AGL, and with an easy hack does up to 15,000 AGL.

15,000 !!!!! That's some serious height!

I prefer to stay within the FAA law of 400 max, often a bit less depending on locations where I fly.

Edit: I have specialized programs on my phone (free) which displays "no-fly" and altitude-restricted zones at my exact location of flight. All FAA certified, free programs.

Edited September 5, 2022 by pallidin

[Timothy]

3 hours ago, pallidin said:

Well, my MA2 does 400-feet AGL, and with an easy hack does up to 15,000 AGL.

15,000 !!!!! That's some serious height!

I prefer to stay within the FAA law of 400 max, often a bit less depending on locations where I fly.

Edit: I have specialized programs on my phone (free) which displays "no-fly" and altitude-restricted zones at my exact location of flight. All FAA certified, free programs.

A lot of people are still oblivious to what top tier consumer drones are capable of these days, let alone commercial drones.

[astrobeing]

21 hours ago, Portre said:

Narrator in video said elevation of object ranged from 300ft to 1000ft.

You said, "There's also the 'line of sight' limitation.  The horizon from shore or boat is only about 3-4 miles." You don't understand line of sight.

[Essan]

I am quite sure that even back in 2019 military drones did not need "line of sight".   They were probably operated by a guy in England.

[NCC1701]

I don't thrust that video. The guy speaks excited like it is happening at that moment but what he says is a summary of every detail of the incident that was collected afterwards. Besides, what you see looks exactly like an ordinary airplane.

[the13bats]

Okay so we as in America's military are so very bumbling and incompetent that some quad copters can buzz the USS Zumwalt - an advanced US Navy destroyer and the captain crew and military scratch their heads and say we dont know who was flying them and we didnt blast them out of the sky, threat to us? Cue deer in headlight look.