Counter-UAS News from Around the World
USNI News: Marines Experiment With New Technology Concepts for the Urban Battlefield
““I’ve never had to deal with IEDs that can attack me…from quadcopters,” said Brewster, commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. Three drones flitted overhead at the Range 131 Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain (MOUT) facility here, and an “enemy” drone – a bat-wing-shaped UAS – sliced through the air as Third Platoon moved among buildings around a town square. “Anyone of these could have a two-pound IED (improvised explosive device)” or act as a spotter or command-and-control for an enemy force, he said. “I need the ability for my Marines to be able to jam these drones,” he added.”
BBC: Air New Zealand calls for drone legislation after near miss
“The pilots of flight NZ92 from Tokyo spotted the drone as they were coming in to land at Auckland airport on Sunday. The drone came so close that the crew initially feared it would get sucked into the engine, said Air NZ. The Boeing 777-200 plane and all its 278 passengers were unharmed. It was immediately not clear who was controlling the drone.”
The Drive: Japan to End Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight Regulations by End of 2018
“The beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) regulation is perhaps the most hampering of all, in terms of commercial drone companies accomplishing their aerial delivery goals. The law, staunchly regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, requires drones to stay within an operator’s line of sight. Naturally, that makes it difficult for companies like Amazon (or your local pizza franchise) to establish an autonomous aerial delivery system. If every delivery requires a pilot to stay within sight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, drone deliveries don’t make a lot of financial sense, never mind the practical aspects. Fortunately for Japanese corporations, this regulation seems to be coming to a swift end in the country.”
Defense Blog: U.S. Marine Corps tests IXI’s counter-UAV system
“According to the announced by Marine Corps Combat Development Command, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Briar Purty, an infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division tests DRONEKILLER Counter-UAS Technology during Urban Advanced Naval Technology Exercise 2018 (ANTX-18) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, March 21, 2018. The Marines have been provided the opportunity to assess the operational utility of emerging technologies and engineering innovations that improve the Marine’s survivability, lethality and connectivity in complex urban environments. The DRONEKILLER is a compact, hand-held counter-UAS system enables Defense and Security Forces to thwart the use of drones by criminals and enemy combatants for surveillance and direct attacks to drop bombs, grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on fighting forces.”
UK Mirror: ISIS planning terror attacks using DRONES and ‘flying suicide bombers’ at World Cup in Russia
“ISIS terrorists are preparing for attacks at the World Cup in Russia using drones, it has been claimed. Sick propaganda has been shared a number of times implying the terror group will target the tournament due to take place in June. Now chilling images have been shared on the messaging app Telegram which reportedly show preparations for attacks. They show drones being armed with grenades, missiles and mortars that can be dropped on targets. Weaponised drones are already being used by ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq. They are the cheap kind normally used by filmmakers and hobbyists, but with deadly bombs attached.”
Times of Israel: In first, Israel uses drones to drop tear gas on Gaza protesters — report
“Israel used an unmanned aerial vehicle to drop tear gas on Palestinian rioters along the Gaza security fence on Friday, according to a Lebanese media outlet, in what would be the first reported use of a drone for this purpose. Dozens of Palestinians took part in the weekly demonstration along the fence in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday. Footage from al-Mayadeen, which is seen as sympathetic to the Hezbollah terrorist group, showed the Israeli drone apparently dropping canisters of tear gas on the protesters, who could then be seen running from the scene.”
Twitter Operator Video (Note eight rotors vs. six in media imagery)
Drone DJ: Flying a drone over Ed Sheeran concert results in pilot receiving a $1,050 ticket
“Last Wednesday, March 21, an Australian drone pilot flew his unmanned aerial vehicle irresponsibly over an Ed Sheeran concert at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. He received a hefty $1050 fine for the “hazardous operation of a drone” and breaking various Australian drone regulations. The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) stated, that the drone pilot broke to following rules; the drone was flown at night, in a populated area, within 100 feet of people and beyond line-of-sight. Police first spotted the unmanned aerial vehicle and passed the evidence onto to CASA, resulting in the $1,050 fine.”
NBC 7 San Diego: ‘Drone Killer’ Approved for Use in Oceanside
“A device called “the drone killer” has been approved for use in Oceanside, the first city in San Diego County to use the technology that will take down a drone. Oceanside Police officials asked for help in enforcing the airspace over the city along the coast of San Diego County. The city is near Camp Pendleton and the most northern community in the county located along the Interstate 5 stretch to Orange County. After a drone disrupted firefighting efforts last year, the department requested approval for a high-tech device designed to stop drones from breaking flight laws.”
CNBC: Smugglers used drones to bring $79.8 million worth of iPhones into China. They just got busted
“Authorities arrested 26 suspects who used drones to fly two 200-meter (660-feet) cables between Hong Kong and the mainland to transport refurbished iPhones with a total value of 500 million yuan, the paper said in a report on the crackdown by Shenzhen and Hong Kong customs. “It’s the first case found in China that drones were being used in cross-border smuggling crimes,” the Legal Daily reported, citing a news conference held by Shenzhen customs on Thursday. The smugglers usually operated after midnight and only needed seconds to transport small bags holding more than 10 iPhones using the drones, the report quoted customs as saying. The gang could smuggle as many as 15,000 phones across the border in one night, it said.”
Perth Now: WA Police push for power to seize drones
“WA Police want the power to seize control of drones in the air or stop them from taking flight if they suspect they are being used for terrorist or criminal activity. Acting deputy commissioner specialist services Paul Zanetti said drones — easily accessible and often cheap — were a “public safety threat” because they could be bought without a licence, could not be intercepted and controlled by police nor traced to a specific location or person operating it.”