Counter-UAS News from Around the World
NBC News: Russia has figured out how to jam U.S. drones in Syria, officials say
The Russians began jamming some smaller U.S. drones several weeks ago, the officials said, after a series of suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians in rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The Russian military was concerned the U.S. military would retaliate for the attacks and began jamming the GPS systems of drones operating in the area, the officials explained.
Swiss Info: Swiss engineer arrested for illegal anti-drone system sales
A Swiss engineer and an Italian entrepreneur were arrested in Rome by the financial crime police for illegally producing and selling anti-drone systems. According to the Italian news agency AdnKronos on Saturday, the “drone ranger” systems were sold to the armed forces of certain Middle Eastern countries. They can detect, track and neutralise Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) by jamming the remote control frequency as well as the global satellite navigation system. These systems are however classified as war materiel by Italy.
AINonline: NBAA Warns of Commercial UAS Violations
NBAA is expressing concerns about the “unwelcome matter” of recreational operators flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial use. The association fears this practice has been growing since the FAA’s issuance of Part 107 regulations, which require remote operation certification for commercial UAS operators.
East Oregonian: Witness: UAV crashed from hundreds of feet
Harold Nelson was out on the airfield around 11:10 a.m. on March 31, when he saw the PAE Resolute Eagle, a unmanned vehicle that weighs well over 100 pounds, flying from east to west. This sight wasn’t unusual to Nelson, who owns and operates Pendleton Aircraft Service, an airplane and helicopter repair business, near the Pendleton airport. But according to Nelson, the drone’s flight looked “wobbly” before it suddenly veered north, “away from the center of the airport,” and crashed to the ground from a height of about 200 to 400 feet.
You Tube: Houthi Rebels Film Ballistic Missile Launches with Drone
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SUAS News: DroneShield Protects NASCAR
DroneShield Ltd (the “Company” or “DroneShield”), a leader in the emerging industry of drone security solutions, is pleased to announce that the Fort Worth Police Department has today confirmed that DroneShield’s products were utilised by the Texas State Department of Public Safety, the Denton County Sheriff, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Texas Forest Service, and the Texas Rangers for the protection of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the Texas Motor Speedway.
The Drive: Proposed French Drone Regulation Would Require Remote Identification
The French Federation of Model Airplanes (Fédération Française d’Aéromodélisme) has updated a 2015 proposal for hobby drones regulations. In this new draft, the federation is urging lawmakers to force drone manufacturers to implement various components allowing authorities easier access to information on the device, like the unique identification number, position, and more. Should this turn from proposal to implemented law, recreational drone pilots in France would be affected as early as July 1 of this year.
We Are The Mighty Blog: American troops tried out this DroneKiller rifle in the field
So, instead of shooting at a blip in the sky, the armed forces have made a push for a way to take out the ISIS drones without putting civilians at risk. One company, IXI Tech, came up with something they call, aptly, the DroneKiller. This system looks a lot like a Star Wars Stormtrooper’s blaster, but in a more tactically appropriate color. This system can block five frequency bands and disable a hostile drone (sending it crashing to the earth). The system was tested last month at ANTX 2018.
Reuters: Israel says Iranian drone it shot down in February was carrying explosives
Israel said on Friday an Iranian drone it shot down over Israeli territory in February was armed with explosives and was meant to carry out an attack. The Israeli military said that after analyzing the flight path and investigating the drone, it “concluded that the Iranian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was armed with explosives and was tasked to attack Israel.”
The Local: ‘It’s OK to shoot down drones’ say Swiss legal experts
Drones are increasingly popular with private individuals in Switzerland for recreational use and to take aerial videos. But the remote-controlled craft can also be used by for spying on individuals or taking unauthorized photos – for example of people sunbathing on their balcony. Until now legal opinion has held that victims of drone surveillance cannot defend themselves. But Basel lawyers Jascha Schneider-Marfels and Sebastian Kaufmann say that according to their interpretation of the law, people who are being spied upon by drones are justified in shooting them down, 20 Minuten reported.
CNBC: Yemen’s Houthis say launched drone attack on Saudi Aramco facility
“Yemen’s armed Houthi movement said on Wednesday it had launched a drone strike on a facility belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco in southern Saudi Arabia – though the company said its plants there were operating “normally and safely”. The Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel did not say when the attack took place or give details of any damage. “The air force announced the execution of air strikes with the Qasef-1 aircraft on Aramco in Jizan (province),” the channel said on its Twitter account, referring to a drone the Houthis unveiled last year.
Metro UK: Plane with 160 people on board came within 20ft of crashing at Heathrow
The lucky escape happened as the Airbus 319 was ascending shortly after taking off from the airport in west London. According to a report by the UK Airprox Board, the plane’s pilot said there was no time to take evasive action. The jet was climbing at 4,800ft when the ‘medium-sized white drone passed directly overhead’. Although it is known the incident happened at 11.33am on January 7, the airline operating the flight and its destination were not disclosed in the report.
Phys.org: Drones will soon decide who to kill
The US Army recently announced that it is developing the first drones that can spot and target vehicles and people using artificial intelligence (AI). This is a big step forward. Whereas current military drones are still controlled by people, this new technology will decide who to kill with almost no human involvement.
MarketWatch: Apple cracks down on drone pilot who shoots epic Apple campus videos
Apple Inc. doesn’t want you flying drones over its campus — which means the days of those sweet drone videos of the iPhone maker’s spaceship-like headquarters may be over. Drone pilot Duncan Sinfield, who has been producing videos about twice a month that give aerial-tour updates of the progress of construction at Apple Park, said his videos may be coming to an end. “My instincts tell me that Apple is tracking all drones in the vicinity of the campus with sophisticated radio frequency technology from companies such as Dedrone,” Sinfield added.