A drone detection system is being deployed in New York, following the sightings of mysterious objects seen in the American skies in recent days.

In fact, the governor of New York asked for federal help after drones forced the runways at Stewart International Airport in the state to close for an hour last week.

“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are sending a drone detection system to New York,” Hochul wrote in X, asking Congress to give states the authority to deal with flying objects immediately.

He said state governments need more power to deal with small, unmanned aircraft on their own, which have also been reported in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

And further west, in Ohio, drones also led to the shutdown of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for about an hour Friday night, according to local media.

“Congress must pass a law that gives us the authority to deal with drones immediately,” Hochul said in her post, after last week vowing to “do whatever it takes to make sure New Yorkers stay safe.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer also said he hoped to pass a bill that would give local law enforcement more power to investigate unidentified flying objects, saying, “I’m pushing for answers in the midst of these drone sightings.”

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim said he went out with locals over the weekend to observe the night sky and believed — based on conversations with civilian pilots and flight tracking data — that most of the aircraft he saw “are almost certainly airplanes.” .

What we know about the mysterious drones

Hochul and other officials have tried to reassure the public that the suspected drones do not pose a threat to national security.

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed that the sightings included drones, as well as manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones.

The Pentagon denied a New Jersey spokesman’s suggestion that the drones may have come from an Iranian “mothership” lurking off the East Coast, while an FBI official said there may have been “a slight overreaction” to the matter.

According to Mayorkas, the increase in drone reports may be due to a change in federal regulations allowing drones to fly at night.