Counter-UAS News from Around the World
Wall Street Journal: Stolen U.S. Military Drone Documents Found for Sale on Dark Web, Researchers Say
An unidentified hacker tried to sell purported U.S. military documents containing information about combat drones last month, a cybersecurity research firm said, after they were allegedly stolen from an Air Force officer’s computer. The hacker sought buyers for maintenance documents about the MQ-9 Reaper drone, a remotely controlled aerial vehicle used by the Pentagon and other parts of the government to conduct offensive strikes or reconnaissance and surveillance operations.
U.S. House of Representatives Video: Counter UAS Issues: A Roundtable of the Aviation Subcommittee
As the number of UAS, or drones, grows, we see benefits but also emerging safety and security risks. Unlawful use of UAS presents a difficult problem for our law enforcement and national security agencies. Many counter UAS systems use radio waves to detect and interdict drones. As we all know, these systems were developed for use in warzones, therefore their use in our domestic airspace containing thousands of civilian aircraft, sophisticated avionics, and air traffic control systems poses unique challenges that we must consider. There are also complex legal issues. It will take close collaboration with the FAA and this Committee and hard work to ensure the safe deployment of counter-UAS systems in our aviation system. I look forward to discussing all of these issues today.
Computerworld: The Aussie open source effort that keeps a million drones in the air
One autopilot software suite in particular has emerged as the preferred choice of the competing teams. It’s open source and more than half of its development effort comes from Australians. A small band of Aussie UAV hobbyists and their bid to preserve Joe’s eventful dummy existence have advanced the software in leaps and bounds. It is now installed in the UAVs of manufacturers like 3DR, jDrones, PrecisionHawk, AgEagle and Kespry, and has become the go-to autopilot program for the likes of Microsoft and Boeing’s drone initiatives. Although you may never heard of ArduPilot, it keeps more than a million multi-copters, fixed-wing planes, and helicopters up in the air.
Janes 360: Leonardo DRS adds RADA MHR to IM-SHORAD effort
Leonardo DRS has selected RADA’s Multi-mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) for the mission equipment package (MEP) solution for the US Army’s Initial Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) capability. IM-SHORAD will provide interim close-in air defense and counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems for the army’s Stryker A1 configuration. Leonardo DRS announced in June that it had been down-selected to provide its MEP solution to the army.
Combating Terrorism Center: The Islamic State and Drones: Supply, Scale, and Future Threats
The Islamic State is a group known for doing things a bit differently, for its capacity for innovation, and for its many ‘firsts.’ Two of those ‘firsts’ happened within months of each other. The first occurred in October 2016 when the group used a bomb-laden drone to kill, after the explosive hidden within the drone killed two Kurdish peshmerga soldiers who were investigating the device. Another ‘first’ happened in January 2017 when the Islamic State released a propaganda video that showed nearly a dozen examples of the group releasing munitions on its enemies from the air with a fair degree of accuracy via quadcopter drones it had modified. And it wasn’t long before the group’s bomb-drop capable drones would go on to kill, too.
sUAS News: Lax Enforcement And The Low-Hanging Scapegoat
The notion that commercial droners and existing NAS users never expected the FAA to enforce their sUAS policy is ludicrous. To espouse it undermines the FAA’s credibility and justification for public funding. Then there is a slap in the face to the industry folks who have put years of time and energy into the airspace integration effort. What’s next? People moonlighting over at the UASIO? I don’t think the point of the FAA charter is to waste the taxpayer’s hard-earned money. Almost as absurd is the notion that a couple of cellphone apps are going to fix a broken commercial drone industry. Is that what GA and the airlines did/do? Are we then supposed to assume that enforcement will happen someday? Is the whole house of cards predicated on the notion that education (a couple of KnowB4UFly tweets) sinks in at some point? Is there a published timetable outlining the percentage of folks seeing the light and when? What should those following the rules do until then?
Haaretz: Israel Shoots Down Syrian Drone Infiltrating 10 Kilometers Into Israeli Airspace
The Israeli military fired a Patriot missile at a drone that approached from Syria and infilitrated Israeli territory, the army confirmed Wednesday afternoon. The army said the unmanned aerial vehicle was intercepted by the missile after infiltrating 10 kilometers Israeli territory, and was shot down over the Sea of Galilee.
You Tube video here.
Defense Blog: Patriot missile again took down UAV approaching Israeli airspace from Syria
This is the second drone downed by a Patriot missile in a week. On Wednesday, a Syrian drone penetrated Israeli airspace, flying 10 kilometers into Israel before being intercepted and falling into the Sea of Galilee.
sUAS News: Dedrone Introduces Drone Detection in the Cloud
Dedrone Cloud streamlines and accelerates drone detection technology installations, without requiring on-site IT infrastructure or maintenance. “Customers who need airspace security shouldn’t have to hassle with maintaining servers to store, shares Joerg Lamprecht, CEO and co-founder of Dedrone. “Dedrone Cloud provides the simplest and most cost-effective path for our customers to install an airspace security technology solution, identify and track unauthorized drones, collect data, and protect their infrastructure.”
WXYZ Detroit: Dangerous drones invade protected airspace at metro Detroit airports
There are a lot of new, amateur pilots out there. But instead of planes, these pilots are flying drones. The 7 Investigators discovered some drone pilots are taking big risks with your safety. They’re flying into the protected airspace around major airports, and experts say the FAA needs to do much more to keep you safe.
sUAS News: XBlades Drone sets Guinness World Record at 240km per hour
Today, the Vodafone XBlades Drone – the ‘Wingcopter XBR’* – has set a new drone speed world record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world’s greatest celebration of motorsport and car culture, which celebrates its Silver Jubilee this year. The Wingcopter XBR, piloted by World Champion drone racing pilot, Luke Bannister, achieved a top speed average of 240.06 kilometres per hour at the famous Goodwood estate. The record for the fastest ground speed by a remote-controlled tilt-rotor aircraft was officially confirmed by Guinness World Records.
Politico: House counterdrone panel centers on model aircraft exemption
Discussion at a House Transportation counterdrone panel largely fell to the question of whether Congress should repeal Sec. 336, the law that forbids FAA from regulating model aircraft, or just narrow it to exclude some small drones. Angela Stubblefield, a top FAA security official, told lawmakers that Sec. 336 presented the greatest barrier to the deployment of counterdrone technology, which DoD is currently testing and which DHS and DOJ would like to begin testing.
Dronelife: FAA Pushes for Repeal of Section 336 and More Authority Over Recreational Operators
The U.S. House of Representatives Aviation Committee held a Counter UAS Issues Roundtable Discussion yesterday – and the issue of regulation for recreational operators was a central theme. The argument over Section 336 – the part of the law that exempts model aircraft from new FAA rulemaking, otherwise known as the “Special Rule for Model Aircraft” (see the FAA’s interpretation and explanation here ) – is ramping up. As lawmakers discuss drone security – and, specifically, S.2836, the “Preventing Emerging Threats Act,” recreational operators are in the cross fire.
RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. announced that RADA together with its partners, Ascent Vision and Sierra Nevada Corporation, won a $200,000 prize at the SOFWERX ThunderDrone Rapid Prototyping Event (RPE) III demonstration, with its X-MADIS mobile drone defeat system.
The Conversation: Do drones deserve their dire reputation? Depends who is flying them
Whether they are dropping drugs into prison yards, narrowly avoiding passenger aircraft or invading the privacy of unsuspecting homeowners, drones have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. There has been an explosion in the popularity of commercially available drones in recent years. Google Images and other photography sites are now flooded with high-contrast aerial shots and gleaming panoramas, all sourced from invariably high-resolution on-board cameras.
9News Australia: Drones invade four Queensland prisons
Drones have invaded the airspace above four high-security Queensland prisons, forcing them all into lockdown. Authorities are investigating Sunday’s incidents but have determined no drugs or other banned items were dropped into the grounds of the jails, with all four resuming normal operations on Monday morning. It’s believed at least three drones were in the air above the Brisbane Correctional Centre, Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, Wolston Correctional Centre and Arthur Gorrie Correctional. The four sites are close to each other, southwest of Brisbane. Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin described the security breach as an “ill-conceived stunt”.