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European Eye on Radicalization: Drones – A Terrorist Air Force?
In recent times concern has grown that groups or lone militants could carry out terrorist attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones. Two recent events have raised further alarms. On 4 August, two drones apparently carrying explosives detonated in Caracas, without killing anyone, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was giving a speech to the National Guard. On 26 September, two people were arrested in Copenhagen and charged with being members of a broader network that shipped drones and other supplies from Denmark to the so-called Islamic State (IS) for use in combat.
UAS Magazine: Study shows need for small UAS geofencing near busy airports
A new 13-day study of DJI drone flights near Daytona Beach International Airport in Florida found that about 20 percent of the flights posed an unmitigated risk to nearby manned aviation operations. The published study—conducted by researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—details the results of a small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) detection project. Sampling flights of DJI drones, the College of Aviation faculty research team detected 73 individual unmanned aircraft that made nearly 200 separate flights.
Comment: We have already included a link to this ERAU study. There is a significant amount of valuable information in the report, so it’s worth mentioning again. That said, conclusions being drawn from this information can be off base. Simply enough: geofencing (or any other single C-UAS approach alone is NOT enough). Geofencing, much like remote ID, relies on compliant sUAS, which in turn relies on compliant OEMs and operators. It can address reckless actors but may prove ineffective against malicious actors. It depends largely on your adversary’s level of sophistication.
Executive Biz: D13, XiDrone Forge Counter-UAS Tech Partnership
Department 13 International and XiDrone Systems have teamed up to pursue intellectual property development related to counter-unmanned aerial systems, wireless communications and autonomous platforms. The partnership will provide patents rights to D13 to integrate its MESMER counter-UAS system with radar, electro-optical/infrared, radio frequency, acoustics and other sensors to build a platform designed to mitigate commercial drone-related threats, the companies said in a joint statement published Wednesday.
UAS Vision: Drone Net Promises Cost-Effective Security
Someday soon, a “Drone Net” now under development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University could provide a cost-effective way to protect small airports, university and corporate campuses, farms or other operations from irresponsible drone operators. The game-changing technology, based on a network of passive rooftop sensors that capture electro-optical and infrared data (EO/IR), continuously scans the sky – at a much lower cost than RADAR.
sUAS News: DJI Demands Withdrawal Of Misleading Drone Collision Video
DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today demanded the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) withdraw a misleading video and blog post which claim to depict a collision between a DJI Phantom 2 drone and the wing of a small airplane.
Shepard: RADA announces $5 million in new orders
RADA Electronic Industries has received new orders totalling $5 million from unnamed customers, the company announced on 15 October. The orders are for RADA’s software-defined radars for counter rocket artillery and mortar (C-RAM), counter UAS and short range air defence applications. All orders were from new defence customers.
Digital Trends: Death from above? How we’re preparing for a future filled with weaponized drones
It’s a capacity crowd at the 2019 Super Bowl, and 80,000 football fans have gathered inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch the game. The weather is crystal-clear, so naturally the retractable roof is open. As the halftime show gets underway, a wave of excited chatter rolls through the crowd — a flock of a dozen drones has just dramatically dropped into the stadium, immediately above the headline musical act. Even though none of the early rumors about the halftime show included mentions of a drone element, no one is concerned. After that crazy drone display at the last Olympics, aerial shows like this one seem par for the course.
WILX NBC 10: Drones flying too close to Lambeau Field on game day could be taken down
The Green Bay Police Department says it detects, on average, two drones flying too close to Lambeau Field every home game. So far, none of the drones spotted have been considered a threat to people. However, there’s growing concern in Washington, D.C. that drones could eventually be used to attack. Cathy Lanier, the NFL Vice President of Security, is hoping lawmakers continue to expand authority prevent drone from flying over stadiums during a game. During a September hearing on Capitol Hill, Lanier told lawmakers,”Drones today are capable of inflicting much greater damage
The Telegraph: Near-miss between passenger jet and drone over London, report reveals
Virgin Atlantic plane was just 10ft away from hitting a drone in the closest ever near-miss involving a passenger jet and one of the gadgets in UK airspace, a report has revealed. It happened as the Virgin Atlantic jet was flying at around 250mph at 3,200ft on its approach to land at Heathrow. The B787-9 Dreamliner carrying up to 264 passengers was passing over residential streets just north of Clapham Common when it was nearly hit by the drone.
OODA Loop: Al-Qaeda and Deash recruiting high-level professionals
In the Muslim world, jihadist groups are made up of individuals with higher degrees on average than in society as a whole,” says Marc Hecker, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations. But for recruits from the West the opposite is true, especially in France, where the average education level of jihadists is lower and average crime rates are higher.” In a study published last April, the expert examined the histories of 137 individuals sentenced in France. Of the 68 individuals with a known education level, only 16 had a bachelor’s degree and 8 a post-graduate degree, a small minority. “But when it comes to terrorism, it’s not the mass that’s a problem. It’s motivated and trained individuals.
sUAS News: DJI drops AirMap and increases size of airport No Fly zones
DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, is improving its geofencing technology to refine the airspace limitations for drone flights near airports, in order to provide smarter protection for aeroplanes in critical areas. “DJI is proud to once again lead the industry in developing proactive solutions for safety and security concerns,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs. “This is an enormous step forward for safely integrating drones into the airspace based on a more finely-tuned evaluation of risks associated with aircraft approaching and departing different types of airports.”
UAS Vision: MyDefence Demonstrates Drone Swarm C-UAS Jammer
On October 12, MyDefence co-hosted the event Electric Storm to demonstrate the capability of the latest MyDefence Counter UAS products for dismounted soldiers. The event featured a live demonstration of the detection and jamming capabilities of the WINGMAN 103 drone detector and the PITBULL Counter UAS jammer.
PJ Media: Blackwater-Style Firm for Jihadists Opens Training Camp with Donor Help
The first known private military contracting and consulting firm catering just to jihadists issued a new online fundraising appeal for help in arming fighters while also noting this week that donors came through to build a training camp for jihadists in Syria.
You Tube: DroneShield Estonia Demonstration
DroneShield demonstrates the DroneSentry/Sentinel and the DroneGun Tactical in Estonia.
Geospatial World: FAA expands drone restrictions near Navy bases
The Federal Aviation Administration has expanded existing drone flight restrictions to ban the use of the unmanned aerial vehicles in the airspace above Navy installations. FAA notice issued on Friday advises drone operators to remain clear of DoD and Department of Energy facilities, mobile assets, and Coast Guard vessels nationwide. Drone operators are now required to maintain a distance of at least 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically from vessels operating within the vicinity of these installations.
Military Times: Did US drones swarm a Russian base? Probably not, but that capability isn’t far off
U.S. Defense Department officials are pushing back hard against Russian claims that they were involved in a drone attack on a Russian air base in Syria earlier this year. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Thursday that 13 drones were heading toward Khmeimim air base in Syria’s coastal Latakia province when a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon flying over the Mediterranean took “manual control” of them and began searching for “holes through which they started penetrating.” “Then they were destroyed,” Fomin said. American officials flatly denied the accusation.
You Tube: [Fortem] First Indoor Drone Shoot Down at GSX
Sky Capture is a command and control system for anti-aircraft systems, which transforms the customer’s legacy air defense systems into highly accurate and effective systems with advanced command & control capabilities as well as information fusion based on multiple sensors, including advanced fire control and detection radars, electro-optical sensors all made by IAI and ELTA systems. The command and control system provides accurate target data for the interceptors and manages the threat and firing detection in an optimal manner according to the target type. The system developed at IAI, provides short-range aerial defense for army forces, headquarters, bases and strategic assets against a broad range of air-borne threats through cannon control.
UK Daily Star: Russia unveils ROBIRD owl drone ‘hidden in plain sight’ that fires silent LASERS
The “robird” device, designed to “hide in plain sight” has been built to fly silently and uses a laser designator to precisely aim at prey. The owl drone was designed by the Zhukovsky / Gagarin Air Force Academy and is reportedly intended to target tanks in northern warfare. It is thought to be the latest in drone biomimicry, which sees the robot’s appearance disguised by taking on the form of an animal. The new bird-imitating drone follows a falcon-shaped model which can even play pre-recorded sounds.
During the years in which it was active in Syria and Iraq, ISIS made extensive use of drones, both for offensive and defensive purposes. It handled the drones to carry out attacks (“explosive drones”), to collect intelligence, and even for propaganda purposes (documenting attacks by suicide bombers in order to disseminate the photos through ISIS’s media foundations). Upon the collapse of the Islamic State and in view of the heavy pressure exerted on ISIS on the various fronts, the organization’s capability of handling drones, which ISIS had developed in Syria and Iraq since 2014, sustained a significant blow.