A Los Angeles resident and Chinese citizen, Yinpiao Zhou, 39, faces charges after allegedly piloting a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California last month, capturing aerial images of the sensitive military installation. Federal prosecutors announced the arrest on Monday, following Zhou's apprehension at San Francisco International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to China.
The incident unfolded on November 30th when the base's drone detection systems identified an unauthorized drone operating in its airspace. The drone, launched from nearby Ocean Park, a public area adjacent to the base, flew for close to an hour, reaching altitudes of nearly one mile. Base security personnel located Zhou and another individual in the park. Prosecutors allege Zhou concealed the drone, which had been used to overfly the base, inside his jacket.
A subsequent search of the drone revealed numerous photographs of the military base taken from above. Further investigation of Zhou’s cell phone uncovered a Google search conducted a month prior, specifically for "Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules." Messages on his phone also indicated communication with another individual about modifying the drone to exceed its standard altitude limitations. Zhou, a permanent resident of the U.S., had returned from China in February. The individual accompanying him in Ocean Park had entered the U.S. from China just days before the incident, on November 26th.
Zhou faces charges of failing to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violating national defense airspace, potentially leading to a four-year prison sentence. Vandenberg Space Force Base, home to Space Launch Delta 30, facilitates West Coast launch operations for the Air Force, Department of Defense, and NASA.
