Chinese citizen allegedly photographed Vandenberg base with drone, says it was 'probably not a good idea'

Nearly a mile above Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, a hacked drone soared through restricted airspace for roughly an hour.

The lightweight drone photographed sensitive areas of the military facility on Nov. 30, including a complex used by SpaceX, according to federal investigators.

The drone then descended back to the ground, where the pilot and another man waited at a nearby park.

Four security officers from the military base arrived on the scene and asked the men if they had seen a drone flying through the area, unaware that one of them had tucked the drone under his jacket.

Authorities identified that man as 39-year-old Yinpiao Zhou, a Chinese citizen and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. He was charged with failing to register the drone and flying it over restricted airspace to take photographs of the military base, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-11/chinese-citizen-living-in-brentwood-charged-with-allegedly-photographing-vandenberg-space-force-base-with-hacked-drone

Yeah, probably not a good idea. Arrested at SFO before boarding a flight to China...