Counter-UAS News from Around the World
UAS Vision: Orbital ATK Demonstrates Counter UAS Technologies
“Orbital ATK recently participated in the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. The event allowed soldiers to use counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) technologies during a series of demonstrations to provide feedback on how these systems performed and could potentially help fill capability gaps for short range air defense.”
Miami Herald: Corrections official talks about drone delivery to inmates
“The Georgia Department of Corrections commissioner says he doesn’t want drone delivery to become one of the many ways prisoners get things they’re not supposed to have. The Telegraph of Macon reported Tuesday that Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Gregory Dozier told lawmakers that he will be asking them to support a bill that stipulates that it’s illegal for a drone to cross a prison’s airspace. Dozens of reports of drones sighted by corrections officers describe prisons put on lockdown while officers count inmates and scour grounds for any drop-offs.”
Herald Net: Drones keep entering no-fly zones over Washington D.C.
“Over a career that has taken him to Afghanistan and Iraq, Col. Patrick Duggan has seen the lethal power of drones. Now, as a base commander in the nation’s capital, he is worried that frequent illegal flights buzzing over Washington could pose a threat. In the middle of a federal no-fly zone for drones, in some of the most sensitive and restricted airspace in the United States, technicians working with Duggan recorded nearly 100 drone sightings over two months last summer. And that was just around two Army posts he oversees. Many of the operators were probably oblivious to the flight ban or just ignoring it as they flew for fun, he said. But he’s not sure. “Are they bad guys? Well, we don’t know,” Duggan said. “It’s a technology that can be used to attack us at home. Why? Because we are not as prepared as we need to be.””
AIN Online: New Jersey Passes UAV Penalty Bill
“New Jersey’s state assembly unanimously approved legislation last week that provides for new fines and prison terms for those convicted of unsafe/prohibited operation of UAVs. Assembly Bill 5205 would provide for jail terms up to six months and fines to $1,000 for anyone convicted of operating a drone in a manner that could endanger life/property, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or for the purpose of taking or assisting in the taking of wildlife.”
Tampa Bay Times: Drone sightings sparking increasing concern locally
“Shortly before Christmas, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s pilot Jason Doyle was flying a department helicopter over east Hillsborough when he saw the lights of a drone. It was about 800 feet below him and a half-mile away, and quite bright, said Doyle, who said the drone was being operated safely. But not all such local encounters have been so benign. At least 20 times between January and September last year, aircraft taking off or landing at area airports reported seeing drones, Federal Aviation Administration records show. The sightings sparked more than a dozen requests to local law enforcement to seek out the operators, including one incident where a sheriff’s helicopter shadowed a drone flying near Tampa International Airport for a short distance.”
Fast Company: This Startup Could Help Protect Against Drone Attacks On Stadiums Or Companies
“While drones can be a lot of fun to fly recreationally, and are increasingly being used to take stunning aerial photography, there are many who worry about how they can be used for nefarious purposes. Already, people have been employing drones as a way to sneak contraband into prisons, and in some cases in terrorist attacks on military personnel. Now, there are those who worry about things like drones being used for corporate espionage, to contaminate municipal water supplies, or to attack big open-air events, like football games.”
Radio Iowa: Iowa lawmakers to consider new state restrictions for drones
“A House panel has begun reviewing a bill that would create a new state crime for flying a drone over a prison or jail in Iowa. Representative Jarad Klein of Keota says after drones were caught carrying drugs, phones and weapons into prisons in several other states, it’s time to consider taking action in Iowa.”
Global Risk Insights: Swarm drone attack in Syria points to new kind of warfare
“Swarm drones – one of most significant emerging technologies of conflict – have already left a mark on the year 2018. While state actors have yet to deploy this technology in operational theatres, violent non-state actors have demonstrated more than a mere interest. As the recent attack on Russian military in Syria has shown, they have indeed acquired the necessary capabilities to carry out a synchronized attack on two different bases.”
The Guardian: How do we thwart the latest terrorist threat: swarms of weaponised drones?
“Russia responded on 5 January to an attack by a swarm of drones targeting a Russian airbase in north-western Syria and a naval station on the Mediterranean Sea. The multi-drone attack, which is suspected to have been launched by militants, is the first of its kind, representing a new threat from terrorist groups.”
iHLS: Counter UAV System Developed from Tech Against Birds
“A counter UAV system was recently demonstrated at the US military MFIX maneuver. DeTect, the developers of Harrier, say they originally built the systems to protect Air Force bases from birds, causing problems when they crossed paths with an aircraft. The developers of the low-cost system for the detection and tracking of small birds adapted their system to meet the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems. The traditional Harrier system has been available to consumers for some time but made its MFIX debut December 2017 with the goal of putting a soldier behind the controls to get their feedback.”
Xinhua Net: Illegal drone flights raise concerns
“Chinese civil aviation industry insiders have called for tighter regulation on illegal drone flights, as the country has become the world’s largest manufacturer of consumer drones. China currently has about 20,000 unregistered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), said attendees at the China UAV Safety Development Forum which opened in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on Saturday.”
War is Boring: Shooting Down Drone Swarms With Prop Planes
“Last week’s massed attempted drone strike against Russian forces in Syria is a harbinger of things to come. Indeed, it is almost inevitable that American forces could come under similar attack. However, countering drones with surface-to-air missiles or interceptor aircraft is expensive, thus an airplane such as Embraer and Sierra Nevada’s A-29 Super Tucano might be a more cost effective option.”
Times of Israel: Wayward drone briefly grounds flights at Ben Gurion Airport
“All flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport were briefly grounded Monday evening after a civilian drone strayed into the airfield’s airspace, causing a “security and safety risk” the Israel Airports Authority said. The UAV was spotted at 7:20 p.m., initiating an immediate shutdown of Ben Gurion’s airspace and delaying all arrivals and departures for 10 minutes, the authority said in a statement. The incident happened hours after US Vice President Mike Pence arrived at the airport for a two-day visit to Israel.”