Counter-UAS Conference
IQPC is holding a counter-UAS conference in Washington, DC on August 22-24, 2018. Details at this moment are sparse, but the event website can be found here. Additional information including some on discounts are forthcoming in the Counter UAS Community group on LinkedIn. Membership to this closed group is available to anyone involved in counter-UAS.
Counter-UAS News from Around the World
The Denver Post: “Not trying to be the drone police”: Colorado towns writing UAV rules strive to balance privacy, freedom
Greenwood Village, a city of 16,000 in Arapahoe County, will nonetheless become the latest Colorado community to propose local regulations when its ordinance gets a first hearing May 7. Cherry Hills Village in 2015 was one of the first cities in the state to put in place a set of rules on drone use. Vail also forbids their use over certain parts of the mountain town.
Defense Web: Deployable counter-UAV system unveiled by Hensoldt
Sensor solutions provider Hensoldt has unveiled its new compact and deployable Xpeller Rapid counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. Based on the existing Xpeller, it was revealed at this year’s International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin. Hensoldt said the new configuration combines a radar system, a camera, radio detectors and jammers. The system can either be integrated into a vehicle or can be used in a transport container for rapid deployment. Thanks to sensor fusion, which is effected via a smart control software application, all UAV-relevant signals are detected with high precision and extremely short reaction times are ensured.
Newsweek: WHY ARE MILITANTS USING DRONES? UAV WEAPONS HAVE SPREAD FAR BEYOND NATION STATES
But drones—or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—are no longer used only by top-tier military powers. The advent of relatively cheap recreational UAVs has made them available to those without the resources to invest in military research and development. According to a report from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), more than 90 countries and nonstate groups field drones, and 30 have weaponized them.
UAS Vision: M-AUDS Delivered on MAT-V Vehicles
Orbital ATK, with sub-contractors Liteye, Numerica, and Pratt & Miller, was awarded an $8,499,990 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract on November 1st, 2017 for integrating the mobile-anti unmanned aerial vehicle defense system with a networked low, slow, small, unmanned aerial system integrated defeat system into a mobile platform.
Northeastern University: ENEMY HACKERS POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO MILITARY DRONES. NORTHEASTERN HAS NEW FACILITY TO TEST WAYS TO STOP THEM
As cyberattacks become an increasing security threat to unmanned aircraft systems, military planners are seeking ways to protect them from enemy threats. Northeastern now offers one of the few facilities in Massachusetts to test drones against wireless signal jamming, spoofing, and other enemy interference techniques.
Jerusalem Online: Report: Mossad assassinated Batash to thwart Hamas efforts to obtain advanced weapons
Intelligence officials in the Middle East suspect that Dr. Fadi Mohammad al-Batash was targeted as part of a Mossad operation to obstruct the Hamas terrorist group’s advanced weapons program, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. The sources told the American newspaper that Batash was sent by Hamas to Malaysia, where he was killed, to purchase drones for operational use. The officials also explained that the Mossad is extremely concerned by the terrorist group’s projects involving autonomous vehicles, noting that they could be used against Israeli targets and have a deadlier effect than rockets.
USA Today: House votes to outlaw weapons on small recreational drones
The House voted Friday to outlaw weapons on small drones. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, proposed to fine drone pilots $25,000 for adding a weapon to remote-controlled aircraft, unless authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration. “It is imperative that we take steps to protect the public before death by armed drone becomes a headline,” he said. The provision was added by voice vote Thursday to FAA legislation the House approved Friday. The bill must still be considered by the Senate.
New York Post: Terrorists’ use of drones has NYPD on alert
Terrorists have grown increasingly inventive with their use of drones — and NYPD officials fear they could start using them to execute attacks in the Big Apple and other American cities. “Our job is to look forward . . . in terms of emerging threats that could affect an urban area like New York City,” Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller told reporters after a House subcommittee on emergency preparedness hearing on Monday.