Privately owned drones are flying illegally almost twice a day over an Army base 4 miles from the White House, CNBC reported, citing a study warning of the dangers of terrorists using the unmanned vehicles.
The study discovered 52 unauthorized drones flew over Fort Lesley J. McNair in southwest Washington, D.C., 26 days this summer and early fall. Fort McNair is home to the National Defense University.
Another 43 were detected in September flying across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, over Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, formerly known as Fort Myer and the home of Arlington Cemetery.
Both military bases are located within restricted airspace that prohibits private drones in the nation's capital.
"This is a concerning rate, especially in light of international incidents where drones have crashed into other aircraft and been used by terrorists and in other illicit activities," said Jorg Lamprecht, CEO of Dedrone, a German-American company that conducted the study with the Defense Department.
Col. Patrick M. Duggan, commander of the Arlington base, warned that drones could soon be used by terrorists in the United States.
"It's only a matter of time before drones will be used to carry chemicals, explosives, small arms or kamikaze into a facility, person or throng of crowds on a military base," he told the Pentagram.
"The clock is ticking, and we don't want to wait until it's too late."
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