Official records show the army has been developing and testing 'counterterrorism' drones in New Jersey for years, amid claims of a government cover-up.

A 2018 defense contract awarded $50 million to a private robotics company to develop craft capable of creating 3D maps of urban areas for a 'counter weapons of mass destruction' program.

The contract was given out by the Army's Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC), which is located at the Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway, New Jersey, where mystery drones were first reported last month.

Meanwhile, documents show the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an air restriction alert on November 21 prohibiting flights over the Picatinny base for 'special security reasons' through December 26.

The White House has claimed the drone sightings - which coincidentally began on November 18 - are not a foreign adversary, pose no threat and are not part of a US military operation. 

Retired CIA Intelligence Officer Rudy Ridolfi told DailyMail.com: 'This FAA notice shows US drone testing is happening in the area. It's a warning for others to stay out of the area during those dates. 

'While the nature of the testing isn't specified, it's most likely the testing of payloads related to reconnaissance.'

But Matt Sloane, founder of drone consulting firm AI Skyfire, told DailyMail.com that the sightings could be 'a contractor developing these drones for DoD [the Department of Defense].' 

The DoD can deny claims of third-party technologies if the drones were placed on a secure tech list for contract disclosures, which means the government is applying special restrictions to the information. 

The restrictions are added when technologies protect national security or to keep advanced systems hidden from hostile nations, and the developer holds primary liability if the government is not operating the drones, Ridolfi explained.

A Picatinny Arsenal spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal or DEVCOM Armaments Center (formerly ARDEC) directed actions.'

The government contract was awarded to Maryland-based company Robotics Research.

The FAA alert could signal signal that the contract had approval to test drones in a public area. 

'They could have been testing them in a different place on a military installation and now it was time to move the testing out to a public area,' Sloane said.

'The military has in various places around the country that are out of the way of prying eyes. Maybe it was just time to graduate that testing to the public.'

While large swaths of New Jersey are seeing drones, the White House has noted that there are more than one million drones lawfully registered in the US and many of the sightings could be hobby crafts, airplanes and even stars.

Sloane highlighted a similar drone mystery that hit Colorado from 2019 to 2020 when swarms of aerial vehicles fill the sky like the current situation in New Jersey.

Local reports at the time suggested the drones were 'a secretive Air Force program intended to keep prying eyes away from nuclear missile silos,' which are in Cheyenne.

Air Force Global Strike Command, based in Louisiana, confirmed that it conducts counter-drone exercises out of F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, where it is based.

The drones were described to have 'flashing or steady white, red or green lights.'

The story echoes the current situation in New Jersey - residents and local officials were demanding answers.

The drones in Colorado were also rumored to be sniffing for missing radioactive material, which has been a theory in the Garden State.

'I think (at the extreme) this could be a search operation [in New Jersey], said Ridolfi.

'One argument against that (to some degree) is the vast bulk of the sightings are at night. If it really was a national security issue, they'd be running around the clock.'

Sloane said the drones being tested by a government contractor could feature any type of attachment.

'There's cameras, gas detectors, radiation detectors,' he said.

The FAA flight restriction alert last month states the temporary ban is due to national defense and security reasons, prohibiting other aerial vehicles flying within a two-mile radius and below 2,000 feet.

However, exceptions include operations supporting national defense, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, disaster response, event support, and commercial operations with a valid statement of work. 

When asked about the FAA's restriction over the base, a spokesperson for the agency said they were unaware of the alert.

Picatinny Arsenal, located in Morris County, develops advanced conventional weapon systems and ammunition and has supplied Ukraine with weapons for its fight against Russia.

Morris County was also the first area to report sightings, sparking a joint letter from 21 mayors that called for statewide action from New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy.

The initial sightings sparked fears of foreign adversaries spying on Picatinny Arsenal, but the White House has assured the public that this is not the work of Russia, China or Iran.

'I do think it's interesting that [the drones are] using position lights,' said Sloane.

'If I were a foreign adversary wanting to spy on things, I probably wouldn't have red and green lights on my drone.'

On December 10, Picatinny Arsenal recorded 17 confirmed and unconfirmed sightings of drones over its territory since November 13.

The earliest 'confirmed' sighting was reported by security personnel and the 'unconfirmed' came from unknown individuals, including locals.

Under the terms of the contract, Robotic Research was tasked with conducting technical demonstrations of autonomous unmanned systems sensing technologies and designing them with sensing technologies.

The program is focused on improving autonomy, 3D/4D mapping, localization, target ID, tracking, collective 3D visualization, weapons system integration of Unmanned Autonomous Systems and subterranean communications.