NJ ‘drone plan of action’ calls for Reaper drones to track mystery aircraft

​​⭕ NJ reps call for feds to ID drones
⭕ One plan would use reaper drones to track
⭕ Weeks of silence slammed, push for info

A New Jersey congresswoman released a plan to find and track the drones causing an uproar for several weeks.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. 11th District, a former Navy helicopter aircraft commander, has called for the federal government to use the MQ-9 Reaper drones used by Customs and Border Protection to identify the source of unmanned aircraft systems causing a public frenzy.

MQ-9 Reaper drones are remotely piloted aircraft that have electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) capabilities, to track targets in various environments.

Sherrill, a veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, also pressed for more information to be made available to local law enforcement authorities, as well as better communication with New Jersey residents.

“I’m incredibly frustrated with the lack of coordination and communication from agencies as New Jerseyans continue to watch unidentified drones fly across our skies,” Sherrill said in a written release on Monday.

“Right now, our leaders need to be acting in accordance with a unified plan, and speaking with one voice in order to protect our national security, keep New Jerseyans safe, and ensure state and local authorities have the information and tools they need to take action,” she said. “New Jerseyans' patience is getting very thin, including my own.”

She and U.S. Rep. Josh Gotthiemer, D-N.J. 5th District, have been vocal in their drone counter plans. They are also contenders for the Democratic nomination for governor in next year’s election.

Mayorkas said Homeland Security wants Congress to provide local authorities with the legal ability to intercept drones.

RELATED: 'Gone too far' — Mystery NJ drone sightings spread

Sherrill’s drone plan

🔸 Deploy Reaper drones and counter-UAS radars to locate and track

🔸 Coordinate congressional information sharing — “Congress needs a unified response, which means it needs to be operating off of a unified set of information.”

🔸 Centralize the response — Sherrill says an interagency response could be led by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)

🔸 Streamline communication with the public — “The lack of a unified, cohesive message from the federal government is only adding to the fear and concern that the public is feeling.”

🔸 Future detection and prevention — A report to Congress with a detailed request for new resources, financial or otherwise, to swiftly and decisively respond to UAS in the future.

Gottheimer calls for fed briefing

On Monday, Gottheimer called again for the federal agencies coordinating this response — FBI, DHS and the FAA — to deliver a public briefing on what they can share about these drones.

He said he was glad that Mayorkas had finally reversed the "insulting" notion that all reported drone sightings were actually of manned aircrafts.

"When folks — including local law enforcement who have spoken to me — see unusually large drones overheard, I don't believe they're all making it up," Gottheimer said at an unrelated public event on Monday.

He also said he would be taking residents' drone reports in a new section of his website, in order to facilitate sharing the details with federal authorities.

Gottheimer has also been touting legislation called the RADAR Act, which he said was now bipartisan, with New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis as a cosponsor.

The proposal would expand federal grants for local law enforcement to make radar systems more available to state and local police. "This will help ensure that only the drones that should be in the air — are in the air," Gottheimer said.

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