Why must use a special gun to shoot down the drone?

Many countries have strict rules about when or how long to use drones in public areas. If you do not comply, the drone will be shot down.

Strict flight management regulations

To fly a drone, pilots in the US must register their aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and pass a theory test. Whether used for personal or professional use, the drone must not weigh more than 250 g.

Many countries around the world have strict rules for both aircraft, owners and operators to ensure safety.(Photo: Getty).

When using the drone for business purposes, the pilot must ensure that the aircraft does not fly at an altitude of more than 120m, a speed of no more than 160km / h, and must not fly directly on other people's heads.

After the Gatwick incident, the UK also introduced new rules for drone pilots. From November 2019, pilots have to undergo an online test, paying a fee of £ 9 / year to drive a drone. Owners must also register their entire aircraft.

In addition, the UK also provides regulations on weight, even registered drones. Modern aircraft have an additional feature to verify their identity, so the regulator can know the device's identity without landing.

Similar to the United Kingdom and the United States, other countries have stricter rules for drone use. One of the common points of the laws for the flycam is to distinguish between use for entertainment or work, and both have many specific provisions.

Sensitive areas such as airports, where crowds often do not allow the drone to be approached.(Photo: AP).

In addition to the rules of the aircraft, there are many areas where pilots are not allowed to control drones to approach or fly over. These are usually areas related to the military, crowded areas or airports. Many manufacturers of drones have already updated these areas into the smartphone control app for easy use.

In August 2019, a young Singaporean man driving a drone into a no-fly zone during the country's national parade was arrested and put on trial. This person can be sentenced to up to 1 year in prison and fined up to nearly 15,000 USD if found guilty.

Shooting down a drone is not that simple

In the case of drones still deliberately flying into restricted areas, the management forces will be forced to find measures to suppress and shoot down the drones. However, the reality of drone suppression is not simple.

With relatively small size and fast moving speed, it is difficult to catch up with the drones. According to Sky News, at the Gatwick airport incident, although up to 93 people reported seeing the drone, no video recording device had been able to record its image.

Radar systems, which are designed to track very large airplanes and kilometers at altitude, are also difficult to track for small drones and fly much lower.

Police units were at Gatwick airport to hunt down two drones in the late 2018 incident, but they could not take them down.(Photo: Getty).

The principle commonly used on drone suppression guns is to interfere with radio waves between the operator and the aircraft or the GPS system to gain power, forcing the aircraft to land or return to the driver. For commercial drones, there are clear parameters of the control frequency, the breaker works effectively. This is also the working principle of weapons manufactured by the Military Technical Academy.

However, high-end types of drones, designed for special missions, can surpass the transmitter. Aeryon's Skyraider has a "Dark Mode" to hide its identity and communication with the pilot. Another limitation is that the attacker is forced to aim and lock the target within the range of the weapon, which is not easy if the distance is up to several hundred meters.

In addition, some companies also develop weapons with the principle of grid launch to block the path of drones. However, these weapons have a more limited operating distance.

Compact, long-range and safe, portable breakers are the preferred anti-drone weapon.(Photo: DroneShield).

In the Gatwick incident, the police considered using a regular gun to take down the drone. However, the police at Gatwick airport, which is only equipped with pistols, can hardly shoot down a flying drone very quickly.

According to the instructions of the US military drone shot down, to ensure effectiveness, a platoon must fire machine guns at a fixed point in the intended trajectory of the aircraft in order to defeat the drone. This is difficult to do in crowded areas such as airports and squares.

"We tried shooting guns, breaking radio waves or other measures to deal with them. Each of these measures had weaknesses. We had to balance shooting down the drone, and letting it do it. "But I have not seen a solution to protect people around," said Andrew McQuillan, director of Crowded Space, a yard protection company. fly away from shared drones.

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