Nets and High-Tech Hijackings: Anti-Drone Systems Offer New Ways to Counter Rising Threats
Drones have become a growing concern for governments, law enforcement agencies, and private individuals alike. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used for various malicious purposes, including harassment, sabotage, and even terrorism. The misuse of drones has led to the development of new technologies designed to counter the threat.
Rising concerns about the misuse of drones have prompted a technological scramble to stop the devices in mid-air. Cheap and easily modified, drones have become a part of daily life as well as a tool for governments and bad actors alike – used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, sabotage, terrorism, and more. "An adversary can use an off-the-shelf drone they bought for $500 and find out what's going on at U.S. nuclear weapons bases," said Zachary Kallenborn, a London-based national security consultant and expert on drone warfare. “China, Russia, Iran: If they're not doing it they're stupid.”
Military drones are already potent weapons of war, used to track enemy movements and deliver attacks. However, they have become an increasing threat at home as well. Anti-drone systems now hold significant promise for airports, water treatment plants, military installations, and public events targeted by drones in recent years.
The rise in incidents involving unmanned aircraft has led to more research and investment into the most effective ways of countering drones, preferably while preventing injuries to those below. Some systems work by firing a projectile to destroy it. Others jam the radio frequencies used to control the drones, causing them to land in place or fly back to their origin. Another approach uses other drones to fire nets at the offending devices.
Jamming a drone is highly effective and relatively easy from a technical standpoint. However, it's a blunt tool – jamming not just the drone's signal but other electromagnetic signals used by telephones, emergency responders, air traffic control, and the internet. The most basic anti-drone measures are called kinetic defenses, which involve shooting a missile, bullet, net, or other projectile at the device to destroy or disable it.
Kinetic systems can be risky, however, as they create the threat that debris could fall on people or property, or that a missile fired at unmanned aircraft could miss and hit civilians instead. In 2022, for instance, 12 people were injured in Saudi Arabia when they were hit by debris after authorities took down a drone launched by Houthi rebels near the Yemen border.
A Israeli firm called D-Fend Solutions created a system it calls EnforceAir that allows the operator to hack into an adversarial drone and take over its controls. The equipment looks like a large computer router and can be set up on a tripod, vehicle, or carried in a backpack. Like other anti-drone systems, D-Fend's product also detects any drones entering a predetermined area, allowing the operator to permit friendly devices to fly through while disabling others.
In a demonstration of the technology in an empty athletic field in suburban Washington, the system quickly hijacked a drone operated by one of D-Fend's technicians as it entered an area being monitored. “We detect the drone, we take control and we land it,” said Jeffrey Starr, the company’s chief marketing officer. Landing the aircraft safely allows authorities to study the device – a critical benefit to law enforcement agencies.
Federal law currently restricts how local and state police can use anti-drone systems. Some lawmakers are pushing to change that. “It is paramount that our state and local law enforcement agencies are able to be granted the proper authority to protect citizens at large events and gatherings,” said Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican and a sponsor of legislation designed to make it easier for local authorities to use technology to counter drones at large public events.
The bill, introduced this month, would give local law enforcement the ability to use anti-drone systems that have been approved by the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other agencies. The proposed legislation aims to enhance public safety and provide authorities with the necessary tools to counter the growing threat of drone misuse.