Counter-UAS News from Around the World
Washington Free Beacon: Iranian-Backed ‘Sleeper Cell’ Militants Hibernating in U.S., Positioned for Attack
Iranian-backed militants are operating across the United States mostly unfettered, raising concerns in Congress and among regional experts that these “sleeper cell” agents are poised to launch a large-scale attack on the American homeland, according to testimony before lawmakers. Iranian agents tied to the terror group Hezbollah have already been discovered in the United States plotting attacks, giving rise to fears that Tehran could order a strike inside America should tensions between the Trump administration and Islamic Republic reach a boiling point. Intelligence officials and former White House officials confirmed to Congress on Tuesday that such an attack is not only plausible, but relatively easy for Iran to carry out at a time when the Trump administration is considering abandoning the landmark nuclear deal and reapplying sanctions on Tehran.
AIN Online: Drone Overflights Could Be Labeled ‘Aerial Trespass’
Regular drone flights could be defined as “aerial trespass” under a proposal discussed by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) in July, warns one aviation lawyer. The ULC provides draft legislation for independent adoption by state lawmakers and floated the idea last month at its annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, said Mark Dombroff, co-leader of the aviation practice of national law firm LeClairRyan. The proposal would make all encroachment over another person’s land by UAS a form of trespass that conveys a presumption of damages, so long as the altitude of the flight was 200 feet or below. Dombroff said that could put state law in conflict with current FAA regulations that permit drone flight up to 400 feet. “It sure seems to me that if that this were enacted in a state, the federal government would quickly file a lawsuit arguing that it was an unlawful preemption of FAA authority,” he said. The ULC plans to continue debate on the measure into next year.
Unmanned Aerial Online: FAA Announces More UAS Flight Restrictions Over DoD Sites
In cooperation with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing additional restrictions on drone flights up to 400 feet within the lateral boundaries of the following federal facilities, all located near St. Louis: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West; NGA Next West; and NGA Arnold. At the request of its federal security partners, the FAA is using its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 99.7 – “Special Security Instructions” – to address concerns about drone operations over national security-sensitive facilities by establishing temporary flight restrictions specific to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
UAS Vision: Intel Unveils New Open Standard for Secure Remote Drone Identification
On Wednesday in Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation Intel flew night missions using a thermal sensor on the Intel Falcon 8+ drone. This application could be used to look for lost cattle, as well as learn more about the habits and tendencies of local wildlife. In addition, Intel performed the first public demonstration of Open Drone ID, an open standard that offers a solution for the remote identification and tracking of UAS.
TASS: Two Militant’s drones downed near Russian airbase in Syria
Two drones launched by militants downed by the Russian military near the Hmeymim airbase in Syria, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties Alexei Tsygankov said on Sunday.
UAS Vision: Goshawk Destroys Rogue Drones by Brute Force
Israeli startup RoboTiCan Ltd.’s solution to attack drones? Sending a bigger drone to hunt them down midair. RoboTiCan’s drone can detect, intercept, and crash into hostile drones, destroying them. Dubbed Goshawk, the drone interfaces with radar systems to detect unmanned aerial vehicles from an undisclosed distance and uses machine vision and artificial intelligence technologies to identify threats. Once a hostile drone is detected, the Goshawk can autonomously launch itself to collide with the drone, sending the smaller aerial vehicle crashing down.
ABC News: Federal officials reiterate drone threat in intel bulletin
Federal officials this week warned police around the country that drones are posing an ever-growing threat to safety and security. Citing the Aug. 4 attack during an appearance of Venezuela’s president, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center issued an intelligence bulletin with the starkest of warnings: “An attack could be conducted by one person or several people using a commercially available, off-the-shelf (drone) to target venues which attract large crowds, such as sporting facilities, concerts, and transportation terminals, or public figures.”
Defense Blog: Ukrainian company unveils new drone with grenade launcher
Ukrainian companyMatrix UAVhas developed a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) eqquiped with a grenade launcher, said Yuriy Kasyanov on 17 August. Yuriy Kasyanov announced on his Facebook page that еру Matrix UAV company has developed an attack multi-purpose unmanned vehicle, called the “Demon”. The first prototype of the Demon UAV is fitted with the RPG-26 grenade launcher. It is also possible to install RPG-7 grenade launcher, small arms, carry a bomb load weighing up to 5 kg.
DNA India: Have drones now become the new weapon for terrorists?
We must not ignore the likely threat of small-scale drones being used by NSAGs, for which the security agencies must be prepared. The police and the armed forces will have to cope with adversaries equipped with different types and sizes of drones, both armed and unarmed. The French Air Force and the Netherlands National Police are using birds to hunt and catch drones that fly near nuclear power plants, airports, and official government buildings. We could also come up with similar measures and have robust regulations and export controls on the use and acquisition of drones, whether for civilian or military purposes. In April this year, the government announced a 13-member task force for the implementation of drone technology. This task force must make implementable recommendations for the Central and state governments, industry and research institutions.
UK Daily Star: Terror drone plot FOILED: Brit spies stop plan to bring down AIRLINER
The attack was designed to replicate a catastrophic bird strike on an engine. It was one of dozens of schemes uncovered by British and US spooks. MI5 officers working with the CIA and friendly foreign intelligence agencies managed to disrupt the plot. It is understood that the terrorist plan involved flying several high-powered drones directly into the flight path of an airliner as it was about to take off in the UK. British spooks believe that a drone sucked into a jet engine would be fatal and cause the plane to crash shortly after take-off – potentially killing hundreds of innocent people.
Eurasia Review: Portable Drone Jammers: An Assessment
The rapid proliferation of consumer drones poses a security threat. Portable drone jammers are being used to combat rogue consumer drones. Their shortcomings can be offset by deploying them together with other counter-drone systems. It was reported recently that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had escaped an assassination attempt by explosive-laden drones. If the story is true, then it is necessary to ask if there are good defences against such attacks. The answer is a qualified “yes”. When the word “drone” was mentioned in the 1990s, the Predator – an eight-metre-long unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flown by the United States (US) military – typically came to mind. Armed with guided missiles, the Predator was not only an extremely effective surveillance platform but also a highly controversial killing machine. Since then, drone technology has been commercialised.
India The Wire: The Menace of Joystick Terrorism
As it happens every year, a high alert was sounded against terrorist strikes to ensure nothing is left to chance during Independence Day celebrations. But this year, security agencies lost a lot of sleep over a new threat posed by what intelligence experts call ‘joystick terrorism’: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a.k.a. drones, that are not only fast replacing pizza delivery agents and wedding photographers but are also doubling as proxy suicide bombers. So the police warned people against flying any kind of remote controlled (RC) aero-models through messages in the media.
ABC 10 News Florida: FAA investigates near drone-helicopter collision off Hollywood
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a YouTube video that shows a helicopter almost colliding with a drone off the coast of Hollywood. In the video posted Thursday, the drone is facing west towards the beach before its camera turns south with the helicopter seen in the distance. The helicopter remains on a direct course with the drone, missing it by a few feet as it flies north.
Geek Wire: No GPS? No problem! Researchers test new and improved systems to track drones
As more and more drones fill the skies, increasingly sophisticated methods will be required to track them under increasingly challenging conditions. How will they navigate if they lose touch with the Global Positioning System? How will authorities know who to call if a drone goes wrong? Two experiments illustrate how those questions are being addressed. One is being conducted by University of Washington researchers at the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport. The other is being done in cooperation with the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma.