The naval air station here in Maryland routinely repairs and upgrades a variety of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). And when the work is done, they have to be flight-checked. No need to get all paranoid.

Around here, we also routinely see F/A-18 fighter jets in the sky; By the same token, there's no reason to assume they're there to bomb the U.S. populace.

of COURSE that is their response. Do you expect them to say, "Yes, we are actively spying on Maryland Americans and we just lost one of our spycraft?"

..than spy on some farmers and watermen on the Eastern Shore.

The skies here over the Chesapeake are filled with all sorts of aircraft being flown for maintenance check flights, training, or simply so the pilot can get more hours in. In fact, out my window I just saw a Navy helicopter flying over the community. (I live in Southern Maryland.) Should I assume the Navy is spying on the jugs of cat litter I have sitting in the back of my truck?