Drones Shut Down London Airport in What Authorities Call Deliberate Disruption

[asus killer]

22 minutes ago, porina said:

And if the wall doesn't get funded, shut down the government. Win-win IMO.

that i don't get, hasn't the Mexicans the ones paying for the hall? just sent them an invoice

[Blasteque]

Various militaries have been developing laser weapons for some time.  BAE will have a system for the US Navy within a few years (probably).  The systems right now are all relatively weak ( <50 kW) and the demonstration targets are small things like outboard motors, but that's more than enough for a drone.

 

Active countermeasures are going to become more and more necessary as the idea becomes more widespread.  I knew a guy who made "drones" for the Iranian air force in the 1990s.  He built RC planes from scratch and retail parts, put small explosive charges in them, and bingo!  Short range cruise missile ready for attacking the Iraqis.  Cheap and easy.

 

The historic defense against this kind of attack is the improbability of it happening.  Now that people are thinking about drones, bought one for their kids, saw it in the news, etc., "bad guys" are going to start using them more and more.

[DildorTheDecent]

>Just shoot the drone down

 

Classic.

[mr moose]

5 hours ago, TechyBen said:

Because those doing illegal things don't unplug the GPS for one day? XD

Yeah, you can make all drones illegal, then imprison anyone with a drone. That kinda thing can work... to some degree of "work".

Your assuming regulations will be only about things you can temporarily disable or work around. 

 

EDIT: and your right to a degree, if they can't introduce regulations that can work then they will consider making drones illegal.   Just like it is illegal to have a more than a 1mW laser pointer in Australia and you must have a decent reason for carrying one in public (like a folding pocket knife).    Is it too strict or does it work? Don't know, but if they keep flying drones we'll know how far they are willing to go with regulation.

[CarlBar]

20 hours ago, Blasteque said:

Various militaries have been developing laser weapons for some time.  BAE will have a system for the US Navy within a few years (probably).  The systems right now are all relatively weak ( <50 kW) and the demonstration targets are small things like outboard motors, but that's more than enough for a drone.

 

Active countermeasures are going to become more and more necessary as the idea becomes more widespread.  I knew a guy who made "drones" for the Iranian air force in the 1990s.  He built RC planes from scratch and retail parts, put small explosive charges in them, and bingo!  Short range cruise missile ready for attacking the Iraqis.  Cheap and easy.

 

The historic defense against this kind of attack is the improbability of it happening.  Now that people are thinking about drones, bought one for their kids, saw it in the news, etc., "bad guys" are going to start using them more and more.

 

Doesn't matter. Unless they're over the airport itself, (and the exclusion zone extends past the boundaries for good reason), if you shoot them down your going to have the drone or at least bits of it falling on people and/or property. Thats a liability lawsuit nightmare. Basically some method of safely capturing the drones in mid air is the only answer thats going to make it past liability issues.

[Castdeath97]

2 hours ago, CarlBar said:

Basically some method of safely capturing the drones in mid air is the only answer thats going to make it past liability issues.

Thankfully those exist:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-35302129/drone-catcher-aims-to-down-drones

[TechyBen]

AFAIK the news mentions them getting in a military radar + jammer to safeguard the area.

[mr moose]

23 minutes ago, TechyBen said:

AFAIK the news mentions them getting in a military radar + jammer to safeguard the area.

And the cost of travel oes up again, thanks to fucking morons.

[dalekphalm]

10 minutes ago, Beyonslay said:

this story is too weird, what is the point of flying so many drones over an airport? to film what?

The point is to stop air traffic. 

 

They are at best “internet trolls” in real life. Or at worst, aspiring terrorists. 

[Origami Cactus]

On 12/21/2018 at 12:51 AM, Brooksie359 said:

Yeah like random people using them to videotape people without them knowing. 

Have you ever been next to an operating drone? Those things are so loud that you must be deaf to not hear it.

Imagine a helicopter outside of your window, you can still spot it.

 

[Colb]

11 minutes ago, TheBritishVillain said:

 

 

What technological methods could they use to trace the user? I imagine it would be very hard to do.

They have brought in drone dome via MOSSAD . Apparently it can locate the source of radio as well as jam or take control of a drone  . Looks like isreal has just made a nice arms sale to each and every UK airport . And probably most in Europe also .

[CarlBar]

14 minutes ago, TheBritishVillain said:

I'm surprised the UK or even the army didn't have some form of method to immediately take down the drones.

 

What technological methods could they use to trace the user? I imagine it would be very hard to do.

 

They do, it's called Starstreak.

 

But like i said they are not going to be throwing SAM's and machinegun fire around at these things unless there's an immediate risk to life and limb. Bullets will eventually come back down somwhere and most airports in the UK are absolutely surrounded with housing, your not going to detonate a SAM warhead over a housing estate where it's going to spray bits of drone and shrapnel over a huge area, (Even a man portable SAM can throw lethal shrapnel hundreds of feet, your not going to have much look hitting anything specific at that distance but the very randomness means you can't detonate the SAM at a safe place over anywhere you don;t want the shrapnel to go), unless you have absolutely no other choice and the potential casualties on the ground, (and the negative PR thats going to come from someone's grandparent or child being killed), are worse than letting it go wherever it's going.

 

6 minutes ago, Colb said:

They have brought in drone dome via MOSSAD . Apparently it can locate the source of radio as well as jam or take control of a drone  . Looks like isreal has just made a nice arms sale to each and every UK airport . And probably most in Europe also .

 

Bear in mind the tech involved in that isn't anything special, it's just that Israel happens to have an off the shelf solution ready to go. It also won't work against drones flying pre-programmed courses on internal navigation or drones using encrypted control transmissions.

[TechyBen]

30 minutes ago, TheBritishVillain said:

I'm surprised the UK or even the army didn't have some form of method to immediately take down the drones.

 

What technological methods could they use to trace the user? I imagine it would be very hard to do.

Tactical nuke to take out a fly?

 

If someone picks up a rock and knocks out another person standing next to them... it's not because the army has no weapons to stop it... it's because the army cannot be everywhere all the time.

[CarlBar]

12 minutes ago, TechyBen said:

If someone picks up a rock and knocks out another person standing next to them... it's not because the army has no weapons to stop it... it's because the army cannot be everywhere all the time.

 

To be fair if their had been a situation requiring them on site they could have been there in under an hour easily. The UK isn't very large and the British Army does have Helicopter transport available. It wouldn't have been overly hard to rush a squad with Starstreaks into gatwick on very short notice.

[TechyBen]

5 hours ago, CarlBar said:

 

To be fair if their had been a situation requiring them on site they could have been there in under an hour easily. The UK isn't very large and the British Army does have Helicopter transport available. It wouldn't have been overly hard to rush a squad with Starstreaks into gatwick on very short notice.

Is that wise? That's the kinda response to actual weapons use, not a nuisance civilian. Even if said nuisance is affecting millions of people.

[Totallycasual]

Now there's reporting out there that the drone may never have existed 

 

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/gatwick-airport-drone-may-never-have-existed-british-police-20181224-p50o17.html

[CarlBar]

5 hours ago, TechyBen said:

Is that wise? That's the kinda response to actual weapons use, not a nuisance civilian. Even if said nuisance is affecting millions of people.

 

I think you misunderstood. I was commenting that if they had been required for any reason they could have got them there in a hurry. Not that they should have.or would have.

 

In effect the fact that there was no response is pretty indicative of what the people in charge thought vis a vis it being required or not.

[mr moose]

11 hours ago, CarlBar said:

 

 

But like i said they are not going to be throwing SAM's and machinegun fire around

Awww, no fair.  I want to see a full SAS response bring down drones.  I'm sure a few stray bullets into the more heavy populated areas of London wont hit anyone.

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, mr moose said:

I'm sure a few stray bullets into the more heavy populated areas of London wont hit anyone

Nah, they'll just hit some Brits. No problem there.

[Brooksie359]

16 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

Have you ever been next to an operating drone? Those things are so loud that you must be deaf to not hear it.

Imagine a helicopter outside of your window, you can still spot it.

 

I guess you live someplace quite then. Where I live it is quite loud so I probably wouldn't hear it.

[Canada EH]

On 12/22/2018 at 8:54 AM, CarlBar said:

Basically some method of safely capturing the drones in mid air is the only answer thats going to make it past liability issues.

Yeah they want evidence, and a case to throw the book at someone to teach everyone else a lesson. It a very serious offense, drones can take down $100M aeroplanes and kill hundreds of people over a $100 piece of shit drone that some kid bought at Bestbuy. Time to outfit units with signal trackers, or have sensors around the airport pinpoint, and a helicopter with FLIR to go high, on quiet and find the culprits.

[TechyBen]

9 hours ago, mr moose said:

Awww, no fair.  I want to see a full SAS response bring down drones.  I'm sure a few stray bullets into the more heavy populated areas of London wont hit anyone.

Nah, I've seen the American gun clubs... they have their own Phalax home edition teams. We just need to host a "Neighbourhood barn shoot" around here, and invite them over. They'd do the work for us. XD

 

 

That's his CAR!

(I cannot find the automated dual minigun tracking system someone made for an RC drone shootout, but have Sandy Shoot cannons instead)

[Canada EH]

21 hours ago, TheBritishVillain said:

I'm surprised the UK or even the army didn't have some form of method to immediately take down the drones.

 

What technological methods could they use to trace the user? I imagine it would be very hard to do.

They will now.

21 hours ago, CarlBar said:

 

To be fair if their had been a situation requiring them on site they could have been there in under an hour easily. The UK isn't very large and the British Army does have Helicopter transport available. It wouldn't have been overly hard to rush a squad with Starstreaks into gatwick on very short notice.

They have police at Gatwick and emergency response there as well.

15 hours ago, TechyBen said:

Is that wise? That's the kinda response to actual weapons use, not a nuisance civilian. Even if said nuisance is affecting millions of people.

Who's to say its a bunch of teens with a stolen drone from NCIXUK.