APEP BAR | DECLASSIFIED / SURVEILLANCE | October 13, 2026
It sounds like the opening scene of a science-fiction film: aircraft moving above nuclear reactors, security officers watching, and an official file marked unresolved. This time, the documents are real. The dramatic interpretations still need evidence.
Who was flying drones near some of America’s most sensitive energy infrastructure? New records reviewed by Liberation Times leave that question open—while documenting a problem more concrete than any extraterrestrial theory.
The outlet reported on October 7 that it obtained 67 drone-related reports involving 28 nuclear sites in 17 states from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The accounts span February 2024 to March 2026. Those are reports, not 67 independently confirmed aircraft, and an individual entry can describe multiple observations.
What happened near the reactors?
At Virginia’s Surry Nuclear Power Plant in December 2024, officers reported aircraft passing over restricted or protected areas. In one account, a drone passed above both reactor containment buildings. Another report says nearby Fort Eustis confirmed a drone at approximately 300 feet on radar. The material made public does not include the radar data needed to independently identify it.
The documents also describe aircraft at New Jersey’s Hope Creek that observers estimated were roughly the size of small automobiles; a V-shaped drone at Connecticut’s Millstone plant; and multiple reported objects at other sites. These shapes and sizes are eyewitness or security-team descriptions—not technical measurements proving unusual propulsion or extraordinary capabilities.
Then there is the phrase “Closed Unresolved.”
According to the report, each NRC registry entry carries that designation. It is an important clue about the released paperwork, but it should not be confused with proof that every incident remains under active investigation, or that federal investigators discovered something they refused to disclose. The records provide limited follow-up information.
Nor do these files connect the sightings to aliens. No public evidence in this set establishes an extraterrestrial origin, an identified foreign government, or a shared operator across facilities.
What makes this worth investigating?
A drone does not need to be otherworldly to pose a security problem. Low-cost commercially available aircraft can photograph facilities, test response times and intrude into airspace. An unknown operator near critical infrastructure raises immediate questions about detection, coordination and enforcement.
The proximity of some events to military installations invites speculation. But geography alone cannot tell us whether the flights were connected. In its reporting, Liberation Times explicitly distinguishes separate records from the Surry plant and nearby Langley airspace and says they do not establish a shared flight or operator.
The more grounded mystery may be institutional: Who is responsible for identifying operators, how are cases investigated after security teams report them, and how much can regulators tell the public without exposing site vulnerabilities?
The Apep Bar question
It’s easy to say, “They won’t tell us what these things are.” It’s harder—and more useful—to ask: What records would show whether the authorities ever identified who was operating them?
Start with flight logs, the dates and times of incidents, follow-up agency records, and the distinction between observation and confirmation. Mystery thrives where those pieces are missing. Accountability begins when someone asks for them.
Question. Investigate. Reconsider.
Sources: Liberation Times — reporting and linked NRC FOIA records (Oct. 7, 2026) · NRC — Drones and Nuclear Power Plant Security.
Image note: Illustrative energy-facility photograph by Nicolas HIPPERT / Unsplash; not a photo of the Surry incidents or any reported aircraft.
