Newly released Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents obtained by The Black Vault under FOIA case 2025-04622 add significant new information to the still-developing story about a series of unauthorized drone incursions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in December 2024. These records, drawn primarily from the FAA’s SKYWATCH system, supplement the earlier Air Force FOIA release (2025-01757-F) previously covered by The Black Vault, and they introduce a striking new element: the report of a “black cube”-shaped “UAS” observed at around 16,000 feet.

SKYWATCH is an FAA operations security platform used to collect and disseminate reports of suspicious or unauthorized aerial activity, often relayed through Air Traffic Control Towers, FAA regional offices, and the Domestic Events Network. It serves as a central alert system for potential security risks, with reports often shared with law enforcement and military security forces.

Here is a breakdown summary of the events just released as a result of this case, and drawing from the SKYWATCH system. The documents themselves (located at the bottom of this article) go into greater detail.

Event #1 – December 14, 2024 (03:55Z)
Air traffic controllers observed a drone over multiple sensitive locations on base, including the Hot Cargo Ramp, the south side of Runway 5L, the military ramp, and the east side of the airfield. Base security reported the drones were turning their lights off and flying past them in close proximity. The incident triggered NOTAMs (M1132/24 and M1133/24) for an airfield closure, with the information broadcast on the ATIS. The closure remained in effect until base leadership met later that morning.

Event #2 – December 17, 2024 (04:41Z)
Multiple radar targets, presumed to be drones, were observed on tower radar. No visual confirmation was made, but the Riverside Police Department was notified.

Event #3 – December 17, 2024 (04:58Z)
The situation escalated when ZID Center radar detected between seven and seventeen targets within 40 miles of the airport. Wright-Patterson Security Forces on the ground confirmed the objects were drones. Riverside Police were again contacted. The report categorized the incident as a “swarm” involving multiple unmanned aircraft.

Event #4 – December 17, 2024 (18:08Z)
An aircraft on approach reported seeing a silver drone approximately five nautical miles southeast of Wright-Patterson at 3,200 feet. The pilot took no evasive action. FAA quality assurance later logged coordinates placing the object within the Dayton area, consistent with the Wright-Patterson region.

Event #5 – December 19, 2024 (18:45Z)
The most unusual report came from an aircraft westbound at 16,000 feet near Appleton VOR, roughly 70–80 miles east-northeast of Wright-Patterson. The crew reported a drone “passing beneath them by about 500 feet” and described it as a “black cube.” FAA quality assurance assigned coordinates to the sighting, placing it well east of the base, but it occurred within the same week as the other incursions and was documented in the same SKYWATCH dataset.

Located within the “Drone Sightings Near Airports” reports located at the FAA’s website, the sighting above described as a “black cube” is listed, however, the description of it being a “black cube” was removed, or intentionally not included.

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