Reuters: FBI chief says threats from drones to U.S. ‘steadily escalating’
FBI director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday that the threat from drones “is steadily escalating” even as Congress gives agencies new tools to address threats. Wray told the Senate Homeland Security committee that the FBI assesses that “given their retail availability, lack of verified identification requirement to procure, general ease of use, and prior use overseas, (drones) will be used to facilitate an attack in the United States against a vulnerable target, such as a mass gathering.”
Jane’s 360: DroneShield releases new counter-UAV system
Australia-based company DroneShield announced on 10 October the launch of a new system to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called the DroneCannon Remote Weapon (RW). Described as a lightweight soft kill UAV-jammer that can be used with any hard kill remote weapon station, the DroneCannon RW is “system agnostic”, thus enabling manufacturers of unmanned weapon systems to add a soft kill option to their existing products, the company said in a statement.
UAS Vision: Rifle-Mounted C-UAS Fire-Control System from Israel’s Smart Shooter
Israel’s Smart Shooter is expanding its line of SMASH rifle fire-control systems and has demonstrated the devices for US military personnel, company officials said at the annual Association of the United States Army conference. SMASH uses image processing to automatically acquire a target from the sight’s field of view, and then displays a box around the target in the shooter’s reflex sight. A switch on the weapon’s forestock enables the shooter to select and lock on to a target. SMASH will then only fire when the sight is aligned to hit the target – and this includes ‘leading’ a moving target.
You Tube: Raytheon High-Energy Laser Mission Scenarios
Times of India: To tackle drone menace, CISF to get tech used by US, Israel
BBC: Sky battles: Fighting back against rogue drones
This summer a packed Airbus A321 came within 100ft (30m) of disaster after encountering a drone at 15,500ft. And the number of near-misses of this sort has trebled over the last three years, with 92 incidents reported last year in the UK alone. Dozens were classified as involving a serious chance of a collision. “We are seeing an increase in reported incidents,” says a spokesman for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Newsroom New Zealand: NZ needs to tighten control on drones
Research suggests there may be over 280,000 New Zealand resident drone users, with another 200,000 overseas visitor users each year. Behind these statistics, drones have a seemingly ever-growing number of uses, but they also give rise to significant risks insufficiently managed by existing regulations. A malicious actor could easily fly a drone into the path of an aircraft, deliver contraband to prisons or drop an improvised explosive device over a sports stadium without ever being at risk of detection by authorities. And someone who is negligent or reckless, rather than malicious, could also cause harm by flying their drone into the path of an aircraft or crashing it at a public event.
Breaking Defense: AUDS Job: Electrons & Bullets Take Down Drones
The Air Force is buying a static version of AUDS for base defense, mounted in a CONEX shipping container for ease of transport and set-up. For the Army, Northrop is proposing to integrate AUDS onto the workhorse Stryker vehicle.
Washington Examiner: Drones swamp US-Mexico border but federal agents powerless to stop them
A CBP spokesman told the Washington Examiner that Border Patrol agents based in California’s San Diego sector see drones fly over the international boundary every night. The drones, which range from a few ounces to a few pounds, take off from Mexico’s Baja California state and buzz over agents stationed near the border at up to 50 miles per hour. The cover of darkness and the high speeds the drones can fly at make it nearly impossible for agents to shoot them down, even if they were allowed to use their firearms.
Defense Blog: Crew of Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter shot down Russian drone
On 13 October, the crew of the Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down the Russian-made Orlan-10 UAV over along the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) press center has reported.
UAV Expert News: Introducing The New XRY Drone
XRY Drone lets investigators extract and analyze data from popular drone models being used for illegal activity — to reveal flight paths, origin, behavior and other critical information that can identify operators
Penn Live: New Pa. law to fine people for using drones to spy
Pennsylvania will start imposing criminal penalties on people who use drones to spy on other people. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Friday, and it takes effect in 60 days. Under it, the state imposes a fine of up to $300 on someone who uses a drone to invade someone else’s privacy or puts someone in fear of being physically harmed. The law imposes a more serious penalty for someone who uses a drone to ferry contraband to an inmate in a prison. That’s a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000.
You Tube: Drone Inspects the [Virtual Tailfan] Cam in Deshler
PJ Media: New ISIS Drone Attack Threat as Feds Warn of Drone ‘Swarm Attacks,’ Assassinations
As national security officials warned lawmakers Thursday that “emerging threats” such as drones “are outpacing our defenses,” an ISIS-affiliated media group circulated a poster online showing a drone doing the work of the jihadist to attack Paris. The poster from Muharir al-Ansar shows a commercial drone grasping a sizable object flying next to the Eiffel Tower, which is framed in crosshairs. A jihadist is depicted walking away. “Await for our surprises,” says the message on the poster.
Drone Life: Europe’s Plan to ID and Monitor Drones – and Why the Drone Industry Approves
The European Commission (Commission) published it’s latest draft of detailed drone rules last week. Here’s what’s inside: and why the Drone Manufacturers Alliance Europe (DMAE) is on board. The Commission’s latest draft implementing rules for operational and technical requirements builds on EASA recommendations, and proposes a groundwork that will grant member states the ability to implement security measures as they see fit – but allows for cooperation and exchange of information that will help support the industry across Europe.
Reuters: FBI chief says threats from drones to U.S. ‘steadily escalating’
FBI director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday that the threat from drones “is steadily escalating” even as Congress gives agencies new tools to address threats. Wray told the Senate Homeland Security committee that the FBI assesses that “given their retail availability, lack of verified identification requirement to procure, general ease of use, and prior use overseas, (drones) will be used to facilitate an attack in the United States against a vulnerable target, such as a mass gathering.”
Jane’s 360: DroneShield releases new counter-UAV system
Australia-based company DroneShield announced on 10 October the launch of a new system to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called the DroneCannon Remote Weapon (RW). Described as a lightweight soft kill UAV-jammer that can be used with any hard kill remote weapon station, the DroneCannon RW is “system agnostic”, thus enabling manufacturers of unmanned weapon systems to add a soft kill option to their existing products, the company said in a statement.
UAS Vision: Rifle-Mounted C-UAS Fire-Control System from Israel’s Smart Shooter
Israel’s Smart Shooter is expanding its line of SMASH rifle fire-control systems and has demonstrated the devices for US military personnel, company officials said at the annual Association of the United States Army conference. SMASH uses image processing to automatically acquire a target from the sight’s field of view, and then displays a box around the target in the shooter’s reflex sight. A switch on the weapon’s forestock enables the shooter to select and lock on to a target. SMASH will then only fire when the sight is aligned to hit the target – and this includes ‘leading’ a moving target.
You Tube: Raytheon High-Energy Laser Mission Scenarios
Times of India: To tackle drone menace, CISF to get tech used by US, Israel
BBC: Sky battles: Fighting back against rogue drones
This summer a packed Airbus A321 came within 100ft (30m) of disaster after encountering a drone at 15,500ft. And the number of near-misses of this sort has trebled over the last three years, with 92 incidents reported last year in the UK alone. Dozens were classified as involving a serious chance of a collision. “We are seeing an increase in reported incidents,” says a spokesman for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Newsroom New Zealand: NZ needs to tighten control on drones
Research suggests there may be over 280,000 New Zealand resident drone users, with another 200,000 overseas visitor users each year. Behind these statistics, drones have a seemingly ever-growing number of uses, but they also give rise to significant risks insufficiently managed by existing regulations. A malicious actor could easily fly a drone into the path of an aircraft, deliver contraband to prisons or drop an improvised explosive device over a sports stadium without ever being at risk of detection by authorities. And someone who is negligent or reckless, rather than malicious, could also cause harm by flying their drone into the path of an aircraft or crashing it at a public event.
Breaking Defense: AUDS Job: Electrons & Bullets Take Down Drones
The Air Force is buying a static version of AUDS for base defense, mounted in a CONEX shipping container for ease of transport and set-up. For the Army, Northrop is proposing to integrate AUDS onto the workhorse Stryker vehicle.
Washington Examiner: Drones swamp US-Mexico border but federal agents powerless to stop them
A CBP spokesman told the Washington Examiner that Border Patrol agents based in California’s San Diego sector see drones fly over the international boundary every night. The drones, which range from a few ounces to a few pounds, take off from Mexico’s Baja California state and buzz over agents stationed near the border at up to 50 miles per hour. The cover of darkness and the high speeds the drones can fly at make it nearly impossible for agents to shoot them down, even if they were allowed to use their firearms.
Defense Blog: Crew of Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter shot down Russian drone
On 13 October, the crew of the Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down the Russian-made Orlan-10 UAV over along the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) press center has reported.
UAV Expert News: Introducing The New XRY Drone
XRY Drone lets investigators extract and analyze data from popular drone models being used for illegal activity — to reveal flight paths, origin, behavior and other critical information that can identify operators
Penn Live: New Pa. law to fine people for using drones to spy
Pennsylvania will start imposing criminal penalties on people who use drones to spy on other people. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Friday, and it takes effect in 60 days. Under it, the state imposes a fine of up to $300 on someone who uses a drone to invade someone else’s privacy or puts someone in fear of being physically harmed. The law imposes a more serious penalty for someone who uses a drone to ferry contraband to an inmate in a prison. That’s a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000.
You Tube: Drone Inspects the [Virtual Tailfan] Cam in Deshler
Drone Life: Europe’s Plan to ID and Monitor Drones – and Why the Drone Industry Approves
The European Commission (Commission) published it’s latest draft of detailed drone rules last week. Here’s what’s inside: and why the Drone Manufacturers Alliance Europe (DMAE) is on board. The Commission’s latest draft implementing rules for operational and technical requirements builds on EASA recommendations, and proposes a groundwork that will grant member states the ability to implement security measures as they see fit – but allows for cooperation and exchange of information that will help support the industry across Europe.