Attack of the Drones: How to Combat Illegal Drone Use

Drones have established themselves in many sectors of industry, from photography to security surveillance. But there is a downside to the technology, illustrated by recent near-misses at airports or the rise in prisoners accessing illegal goods from outside. At IFSEC 2016, companies showcased innovative systems to defend against illegal drone use.

Drones have come a long way from John Stringfellow’s ‘aerial steam carriage’ patent which saw a steam-powered drone with a 10-foot wingspan make a 40-yard flight at London’s Crystal Palace as early as 1848.

These days, UAVs are a popular tool for cinematographers and security professionals alike. But their ease of use has given rise to dangerous practices as seen in April this year when a small device struck an Airbus 320 on its approach to Heathrow, endangering the lives of the 132 passengers and five crew on board.

In the same month, the Sun newspaper reported how an unmanned aircraft tried to deliver a small parcel suspected to contain drugs straight to at inmate at HMP Manchester. Although the attempt failed, the incident highlighted a rising trend for drones to trespass into dangerous spaces.

To safeguard against this growing threat, California-based Dedrone have devised a sophisticated detection and alert system. Showcased at IFSEC 2016, the technology features an automated, software-based detection platform named DroneTracker.

It provides early warning of illegal civilian UAVs and is said to be able to protect industrial plants, government buildings and other critical infrastructure installations against smugglers, spies and terrorist attacks.

The device attaches to exterior walls of buildings, rooftops, or special masts, using a combination of audio, video, Wi-Fi and RF sensors to identify illegal drones in the vicinity. Integration with third-party alarm systems is claimed to help identify and remediate threats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7o0fO81F58

Depending on requirements, various countermeasures, such as jammers, can be integrated into the DroneTracker and be triggered automatically. The system is currently distributed by more than 100 partners in 50 countries.

Based in San Francisco, California the company was founded in 2014 with backing from a number of international investors.

“It’s basically an alarm system for the skies, “ says Friederike Nielsen, marketing and communications vice president at Dedrone. “The system recognises drones according to their appearance, flying patterns and acoustic traits.

“That makes detection extremely accurate which is especially important in prisons. In these settings, frequent false alarms would soon undermine the entire detection effort.”

If a drone is detected, countermeasures can be taken, ranging from the use of frequency jammers to the cancellation of entire flight schedules. As this can incur considerable cost, one of Dedrone’s partner companies has come up with a simple, elegant solution – Drone Defence’s Netgun.

Demonstrating the device during IFSEC 2016, managing director Richard Gill captured a small UAV with a net fired from a small CO2-powered hand-held device in front of an amazed audience. The gun has a range of up to 15 metres, and can project two different nets, measuring two and nine square metres, with a reload time of 15 seconds.

Gill is particularly aware of the health and safety implications of the system. “Our package includes a training course where we train the operators from scratch,” he says. “Users get taught how to safely arm, disarm and recharge the device.”

The system has successfully entered the market, with national sales providing the lion share so far. “The UK is really the biggest market to date but we’re aiming to expand into Europe and the rest of the world soon,” Gill concludes.