Since the recent supposedly drone-caused disruptions at major airports, most notably Gatwick, Heathrow and Newark, the anti-drone or counter-drone industry has seen a strong rise in the demand for their solutions. The Wall Street Journal just published an article on the front page of their online edition titled, “Weapon makers declare war on drones.”
After the drone incidents at Gatwick, Heathrow, and Newark, all eyes are now on the Super Bowl game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots in Atlanta, Georgia this upcoming weekend. To prevent a possible Super Bowl drone drama, a new experimental 3D radar system is planned to be tested. The 3D radar system, better known as a compact solid-state beam-steering MESA radar, is from a start-up, funded by Bill Gates, that goes by the name Echodyne.
In the wake of the Gatwick, Heathrow, and now Newark (alleged) drone sightings, the Economist published an article today that is worth reading. It covers a number of different counter drone technology options that are currently available or being developed.
Drones have what seem to be limitless potential as they are finding their spot in many industries like farming, transportation, and surveying. Amongst many great uses, there are also those who wish to misuse these small, unmanned aircraft as they are agile and hard to detect. Many ideas on how to take down these rogue drones have been proposed and tested but RoboTiCan is taking a different approach using brute force.
Like anywhere else in the world, drones are becoming increasingly more popular in Switzerland. Now Swiss legal experts found that if a drone is invading your personal privacy, you are entitled to shoot it down and you will not be liable for damages.
Governments around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about drone incidents and drone threats. And when you have seen photos or videos of drones being jerry-rigged to drop grenades, you understand why. According to a copy of a legislative proposal obtained by The Washington Post, the Trump administration is seeking authority to intercept drone communications to defend against any possible drone attacks in the U.S. The administration asked Congress to give more powers to the Homeland Security and Justice Departments to track, reroute or destroy drones that are perceived to be a threat.
The Dutch police started using eagles to intercept drones back in 2016. What initially seemed to be a very successful approach to defense against suspicious unmanned aerial vehicles has now been halted. No longer will eagles be used by law enforcement to take drones out of the skies in the Netherlands.
In our ongoing series of drone killers, called Drone Defense, we now learn that the US Airforce has funded research to study how peregrine falcons approach and target their prey. Many of the raptor’s attack skills may one day be used in creating an effective drone-defense system to help keep soldiers safe.
Armed with radar and a net, the DroneHunter drone will automatically hunt and intercept trespassing drones. This technology has been developed by the start-up called Fortem Technologies. The FAA has forecasted that by 2020 roughly 7 million drones will be sold in the US alone.
