Helicopters over Washington, D.C. were scanning for threats, expert says

Helicopters that hovered over protests near the White House on Monday night likely were scanning the crowd for weapons and potential vehicle-borne threats, a former hostage rescue official told Just the News.

“These helicopters have sensors that allow them to detect threats based on heat signatures, and in all probability, that’s what they were doing,” said Dale McElhattan, former director of the Office of Hostage Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. 

At least two helicopters were spotted flying low over Washington, D.C. on June 1, according to eyewitnesses and reports on social media. The helicopters included a UH-72 Lakota and a UH-60 Black Hawk, painted in what appear to be U.S. Army colors, but with no markings to show what unit they belong to. The Lakota was painted with red crosses designating it as a medical aircraft.

The helicopters reportedly hovered in place, low enough for their rotor wash to knock down tree branches and kick up ground debris.

Some observers hypothesized that the maneuvers were similar to those used in war, to frighten enemy forces on the ground.

A far likelier purpose was to look for weapons, McElhattan said.

“Thermal imaging was being used on one of these helicopters,” speculated McElhattan, who helped design U.S. hostage rescue policy. “Helicopter images are a game-changer for seeing what peoples’ intent is.”

When used on people, the sensors can detect minute variations in temperature, McElhattan said. The variations can determine whether someone is carrying a weapon, down to the size of a handgun.

When used on vehicles, the sensors can detect engine temperature, and whether a car is wired to explode.

“The heat signature from upholstery is different than that from ammonium nitrate,” McElhattan said. “It goes toward assessing threats from potential car bombs.”

The sensors employ Forward-Looking Infrared Radar, known as FLIR, he said. “It has multi-imaging capabilities. It can’t see through walls, but it can sense heat.”

The helicopters appeared shortly after President Trump last night warned state and city officials to stop riots in their jurisdictions, or he would send federal military forces to instill order. That announcement mirrored an earlier White House comment that the president might invoke the two-centuries-old Insurrection Act.

No agency has claimed to own the helicopters.

The Pentagon told Just the News that it would contact the Washington, D.C. National Guard for responses to questions about the aircraft, and will send information when it comes in. The Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia National Guards did not respond to Just the News.

The ownership, though, is not as important as the passengers, McElhattan said.

“The platform is one thing. The inside is another,” he said. “Any number of interested agencies could have people or equipment on board.”

Today, high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, known as HUMVEES, appeared on the streets of Washington, D.C. The vehicles are unmarked, according to one eyewitness, but one driver’s uniform patch identified him as a member of the D.C. National Guard.