What you’re missing: Newsletter subscribers received access to our quick look analysis of the Las Vegas Airliner incident.
Counter-UAS News from Around the World
Defense Blog: CONTROP provides advanced flight safety solutions at Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport
“According to Mr. Hagay Azani, CONTROP’s VP Marketing and Sales, “We are proud to announce a significant expansion of our company’s flight safety activities at airports. Ben Gurion Airport, one of the leading airports in the Middle East, chose to install two of our SPEED-BIRD systems following a lengthy and intensive evaluation process. One system will focus on the ground and will locate objects near the runways and taxiways. The second system will focus on the airspace and will detect birds and drones. The systems will operate 24/7 and will significantly increase safety during takeoffs and landings. These systems will enable TLV to become a world leader in airspace flight safety.””
UAS Vision: Airports Want Swift Adoption of European Drone Rules
“The European airport industry is calling for the swift adoption of safety and traffic management rules at EU level on the use of drones. The EU Aviation Strategy has been a major driver of the development of new regulation on the use of drones, since its announcement in December 2015. With the political agreement on the new EASA Regulation and the endorsement of the Helsinki Declaration by the aviation community late last year, the prospects for the EU’s rulebook on the use of drones have gathered further momentum.”
The Hill: Terror from the skies: The drones are coming. Can we stop them?
“Innovation is a key component to a healthy economy. Over the last several years, advances in drone technology have provided efficient and effective ways for industries across the board to conduct everyday tasks. Farmers use drones to assess the health of their crops. First responders use drones for search and rescue efforts. Utility workers use drones to access pipelines and phone towers. Even insurance companies use drones to survey damage from above. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), approximately 11 million drones will be sold in the United States by 2020. This is a booming industry enjoyed by millions of drone enthusiasts with the innovative opportunity to change a wide-array of business practices. However, drone technology is also being exploited to advance crime and threaten our national security.”
American Security Today: DeTect’s HARRIER Counter-UAS System Makes MFIX Debut (Video)
“While other counter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) measures are being developed at the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX), DeTect Inc., the creators of the HARRIER are here to show what they have successfully been doing for years.”
Homeland Security Today: DHS SAVER program issues ‘counter-drone’ procurement guide for emergency responders
“DHS’s SAVER program has identified 13 counter-unmanned aerial systems that could be useful for emergency response, and issued a guide on their features to assist procurement. NUSTL’s (National Urban Security Technology Laboratory) SAVER program has conducted the market survey of counter-unmanned aerial systems, to assist emergency responders in identifying useful products.”
Techcrunch: DroneGun Tactical is a portable (but still illegal) drone scrambler
“The only thing growing faster than the global drone population is the population of people thinking “how can I knock these annoying things out of the sky?” DroneShield offers a way to do just that, and now in a much more portable package, with the DroneGun Tactical — that is, if you’re an authorized government agent, which I doubt. Over the last few years, the Australian company DroneShield has been showing off its DroneGun, essentially a high-powered antenna that blasts drones’ own antennas with a signal powerful enough that it drowns out the controller’s instructions. Many drones in such a situation treat this like a loss of signal, and attempt to make a safe landing or, if GPS isn’t also scrambled, return to a known location.”
Dronelife: Anti-drone Firm Again Protects Davos Forum
“A California-based anti-drone firm protected the world’s most prominent economic forum for the second year in the row, partnering with local police to mitigate possible rogue UAV flights.”
WeTalkUAV: Anti-drone tech deployed at Davos World Economic Forum
“The interference of drones in daily life is becoming a huge concern for governments around the world.In anticipation of protests and increased activity, the police in Davos, Switzerland are taking preventative measures. Police in Davos, Switzerland were spotted using machine-gun like anti-drone technology ahead of the famous economic forum of the same name.”
Washington Examiner: Air Force testing gyrocopter detection over D.C.
“Federal officials are testing the government’s ability to identify gyrocopters and other small aircraft over Washington, D.C., nearly three years after a Florida mailman flew undetected past the White House before landing his 350-pound rotorcraft at the U.S. Capitol. The Air Force will fly a gyrocopter above the capital area at between 500 and 2,500 feet off the ground, and will fly Cessna and Sky Arrow aircraft between 500 and 8,000 feet above the ground, according to a Tuesday press release.”
sUAS News: Plan hatched to allow drone flying in Washington restricted airspace
“Today, Charles Werner, Chair National Council on UAS/Virginia Aviation Advisor and Eddie Reyes, Police Foundation along with FAA’s Carol Might and Gary Miller announced a plan that will allow public safety to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the restricted airspace in the National Capital Region (NCR). Until today, the possibility for public safety to utilize UAS and take advantage of the many demonstrated benefits was extremely restricted in the NCR. DHS representative Andrew MacDonald also outlined a proposal to implement an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system along with UAS for public safety equipped with sensors for quick identification and secure operations. Today’s meeting was organized to inform members of the Metro Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG – 24 localities, DC, MD & VA), identify the various federal partners and begin a collaboration process that will enable safe and secure use of UAS in the NCR. Over the past year, unmanned aircraft systems have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to save lives, enhance public safety operations and increase responder safety.”
You Tube: Just how close can a drone get to an airliner
c|net: Drone hovers right above jet landing at Las Vegas airport
the Points Guy: Video Emerges of Drone Flying Dangerously Close to Frontier Flight
Washington Examiner: Drone Killer weapon wows techies, law enforcement at Border Security Expo
“Andy Morabe, director of business development for IXI Technology, says he can take down any drone with the drone gun he’s developed, including any that might be flown over the southern U.S. border by drug cartels. His Drone Killer gun is the first and only hand-held device that can take down a drone without blowing it up, and it quickly became a favorite among law enforcement officials at the Border Security Expo here this week.”
AINonline: Anti-UAS Systems Closer to Deployment
“As governments worldwide continue to refine their regulatory approach to counter-UAV technologies, more companies are jumping into the market and advancing their programs. In December, Germany’s Hensoldt demonstrated its Xpeller counter-UAV system at the Airbus airfield in Hamburg.”
Tampa Bay Times: Man with alleged ISIS sympathies accused of plotting to kill federal judge in Tampa
“Jason Jerome Springer hated a federal judge so much that he talked about flying an “explosive-packed drone” into her office, court papers say. He tried to learn her home address and told an inmate at the Pinellas County Jail that he considered it his mission to kill her.”
FighterSweep.com: Iraq Wants Drone Killer Gun from US to Fight Weaponized ISIS Drones
“Fighter Sweep showed you recently video of an ISIS drone dropping an explosive device on Iraqi troops. Reports are that the Iraqis want to obtain an anti-drone gun called the DroneDefender. Manufacturer of the DroneDefender is a US based company named Battelle and they have currently supplied the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland security with about 100 of these devices.”
Combating Terrorism Center: Drone, Counter Drone: Observations on the Contest Between the United States and Jihadis
“Armed military-grade drones have been a central tool for the United States to counter the threat posed by al-Qa`ida and the Islamic State. It is therefore not surprising that the West’s use of drones has been a subject of intense interest for these groups and their supporters online. Indeed, the jihadi community for years has sought ways to disrupt and limit the effectiveness of armed drones and to deploy its own drones in offensive ways. As the United States and other countries begin to deploy counter drone solutions to mitigate the jihadis’ offensive drone threat, it would be wise to game out creative and inexpensive ways to defeat countermeasures being deployed by the West so the jihadis’ response to those methods can be anticipated and pre-empted.”
Air Transport World: Sweden implements new rules for UAV use
“Sweden has become the latest country to regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, covering both private and commercial operators. Swedish Transport Agency Transportstyrelsen said that while the rapidly developing UAV technology presents great opportunities, the craft must be operated safely.”
Fox10: Scottsdale police using drone detection technology at Waste Management Phoenix Open
“As the Waste Management Phoenix Open gets underway, Scottsdale Police is using some new technology to keep everyone at the event safe. “Drones are becoming so inexpensive and so popular, we are getting ahead of this technology,” said Sgt. Ben Hoster with Scottsdale Police. Sgt. Hoster said they have linked up with Dedrone and Aerial Armor to catch drones flying over the area.”
Fox News: Man who used drone to smuggle drugs into US sentenced to 12 years in jail, officials say
“A 25-year-old man who was previously arrested after using a drone to smuggle drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, border officials announced. A jury sentenced Jorge Rivera on Wednesday after he was convicted last week of trying to traffic 13 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States during the summer, according to a release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
Gulf News Society: UAE students build drone that clears fog
“A group of students from a Dubai college showcased a drone that can disperse fog and clear smog. It could be very useful for government officials particularly the road traffic police to clear fog during early hours in winter when many accidents occur, innovators say. The drone carries a bottle, filled with chemicals that spreads in the atmosphere, which helps clearing fog in 15 to 20 minutes. The drone can carry 1kg of dispensing liquid — urea and salt solutions.”
Digital Trends: Drone-catching drones to bolster security at this week’s Winter Olympics
“Drone ownership has caught on in South Korea as it has pretty much everywhere else, a fact that hasn’t escaped organizers of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which officially gets underway on Friday, February 9. Officials are concerned about rogue flying machines disrupting events during the two-week sporting extravaganza, and have put in measures to deal with any such incidents. Worst-case scenarios include a drone carrying a bomb toward a bus full of athletes, a scenario recently tackled by a SWAT team as part of a pre-Games drill. The team shot down the drone before it had a chance to reach the vehicle.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Va. lawmakers weigh new laws limiting drone flights
“A drone spotted flying 50 feet above the downtown helipad that VCU Medical Center uses to transport critically injured patients is figuring front and center in a state lawmaker’s push for new regulations governing unmanned flights in Virginia. Sen. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, pointed to the incident as he made the case for a law aimed at eventually granting the state’s aviation board authority over drones, which are currently only regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Federal rules do not necessarily prohibit flights over helipads.”
Foreign Policy: What Would Happen if Terrorists Attacked the Super Bowl With Drones?
“Drones could present a potential major threat to Sunday’s Super Bowl, but there’s no way to disable or shoot them down without endangering the people below, according to U.S. law enforcement documents and interviews with security officials on the ground. Vast resources have been deployed to identify, track, and intercept unmanned aircraft deemed a threat, but drones “continue to provide a significant challenge to special event security in the U.S.,” a Department of Homeland Security official, who asked not to be named, told Foreign Policy. “In the civilian special event environment, there are no safe mitigation technologies available at this time.”