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Rogue drones to be targeted by new hi-tech 'detect and destroy' unit set up by Home Office

Rogue drones will be brought down by “detect and destroy” technology under plans for a new national counter-drone force to prevent Gatwick-style disruption, ministers have announced.

The new mobile special unit, to be set up by the Home Office, will be available to any police force or law enforcement agency in the UK to counter potential drone threats at major events or malicious attacks such as the chaos at Gatwick airport last Christmas.

The unit is expected to have military-grade cameras, radar and radio frequency scanners to detect rogue drones, similar to those deployed by the Army at Gatwick.

To bring them down, there is electronic jamming equipment and shoulder-launched bazookas that fire projectiles which deploy a net as they near a drone, ensnare it and float it to the ground with a parachute. 

A bazooka with a 100 metre range has been tested by police at Heathrow while a more powerful version capable of reaching 300 metres is being developed.

The planned unit is part of a three-year “counter-drone” strategy which includes a new international standard for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) where all would be fitted with “geofencing.” This uses their GPS to stop them flying over sensitive sites like power plants, airports or prisons.

It follows an agreement last month by the Five Eyes group of nations - the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand -  to “identify what more could be done at the manufacturing stage to mitigate drone risk by design.”

The Telegraph understands that aviation watchdogs led by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) want all drones to have an electronic “licence plate” so they can be detected in the sky and their ownership immediately established.

Planned new laws will give police more powers to search premises for potential rogue drone operators and issue £100 penalty notices for minor drone violations.

From next month all owners of drones weighing more than 250 grammes will be required by law to register their device with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and take an online safety test. Anyone who fails to do so faces fines of up to £1,000.

Brandon Lewis, the Security Minister, said: “This Government is proud of the UK’s burgeoning drone industry and we will do all that we can to ensure that the UK firmly establishes itself as a world leader in this industry.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/20/rogue-drones-targeted-new-hi-tech-detect-destroy-unit-set-home/

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