What the hell is that?
It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon and you are sitting on the fifty-yard line watching your favorite NFL team (Insert your team here) beat the pants off the Pittsburgh Steelers. (I really enjoy when any team beats the Steelers). From the south end zone you notice something flying over the field. At first you think it is a bird or maybe it’s the NFL “Skycam” camera that you have been oblivious to noticing before. You lean over to your half-baked buddy and ask, “What the hell is that?”
The object is moving erratically and there are no wires suspended throughout the stadium. You now realize that the object is a quad rotor drone! Is it supposed to be here? Does it pose a threat? Is it part of the telecast? What can be done about it?
During all NFL, MLB and NASCAR events there is a temporary flight restriction prohibiting flight for three nautical miles around the stadium however, the FAA has allowed several entertainment entities to utilize drones over the past year to film their events. This has been strictly prohibited in the past but regulations are trying to catch up to the exponential growth in the drone industry. In 2015, The NFL received limited permission to fly drones over stadiums to gather footage for stories yet they are still restricted to not flying over people and not during game days.
Regardless if the drone is supposed to be there or not it can always pose a threat. Drone flight into mass gatherings can be dangerous even if there are no illicit intentions. The potential for spectator injury, damage to property and disruption to the event remains a likely possibility. Drones can crash due to pilot error; loss of power, loss of contact with the controller or the GPS navigation system can be hacked — called “spoofing.”
In 2013, a drone crashed into the grandstands during the Virginia Bull Run and injured five spectators and in 2015 a wayward drone crashed during the Seattle Pride Parade knocking a woman unconscious. So the drone can be dangerous without malicious intent but what if it is carrying payload?
Drone capability is increasing by the minute. Everyday the manufacturers are developing longer flying drones with greater load carrying capacity and user-friendly controller capability using tablets and smart phones. The threat from a drone is only limited by the perpetrators creativity. Commercially available drones are affordable, easy to obtain and difficult to trace back to the operator. Commercially available drones have the capability to be customized with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive devices (CBRNE) or even potentially an improvised firearm. Drones can be equipped with dispersal devices to fly over crowds and spray toxic chemicals (They are already used in agriculture to spray pesticides on crops) or to be equipped with an explosive device that is remotely detonated or explodes on impact. All of which can be controlled by a smart phone and directed simply by plotting a course and location on a mapping program. A drone can also be equipped with a firearm and utilized with first person view to fly the drone, poses an unbelievable threat for law enforcement.
What can be done to prevent or defend against this attack? Unfortunately the defensive tactics are lagging behind the threat possibilities. However, new technologies are emerging to combat these threats. Drone detection devices have been developed that utilize the acoustics of a drone to detect when they enter a specific area. These devices must be pre-deployed and mounted on stationary fixtures to be monitored during the event. Once detected the task becomes how to intercept the drone before it carries out its mission. Researchers have developed technology to commandeer the drone by “hacking” into the GPS navigation system and steering a new course for the drone. Signal jamming has also been utilized however that technology also interrupts Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies and could interrupt Internet networks and cell phone service until the technology is turned off.
Newer interception techniques have been developed utilizing a net to physically capture the drone. Two types of deployment platforms have been demonstrated. The first utilizes a defender drone to deploy the net using first person view.
The second deployment platform is an air powered bazooka with a projectile and a net payload that will intercept the drone and gently return the drone to the ground using a parachute. This system looks very promising for airports and large gathering events.
While these systems are showing promise, an informed and educated populace that is willing to get involved will always be a solid defense. If you see a drone operator near a gathering of people — report it. Let law enforcement check it out to make sure it is legit. If you see something — say something.
