Preventing Drone Terrorism: What You Need to Know

2024-01-15 16:22:07

A military drone drops a bomb (Getty Creative) (xia yuan via Getty Images)

There is a threat looming over Western countries and it seems that we are not prepared to face it. The next terrorist attacks may occur using drones, and this type of attack can be extremely lethal. The latest attacks suffered by Israel or the attacks received by the United States Army in Yemen anticipate a new era in which terrorists will use these flying prodigies to cause the greatest possible damage.

That’s why U.S. technology companies and government agencies are rushing to develop defenses against possible terrorist drone attacks, a threat that increasingly worries security experts who have observed the rise of drone warfare in Israel, Ukraine and Yemen.

Last December, for example, Russia attacked a maternal and child hospital and a shopping center in Dnipro (Ukraine), an apartment building in Odessa (southern Ukraine) and a metro station in the capital of Kiev, along with 36 drones. with several schools in Lviv (west) and homes in numerous cities. They were civilian targets, so these actions can only be called terrorism.

Last October, Hamas used drones against Israel’s civilian population. At the same time, Hamas said it launched 35 Al-Zawari kamikaze drones at targets in Israel. The Al-Zawari (or Zouari) is a portable fixed-wing drone similar in size to the Russian Lancet, named after the Tunisian drone that Mohammed Al-Zawari was killed in 2016. Previously seen as a reconnaissance drone, the Zawari has now been adapted for an attacking role.

How to stop a terrorist drone

As this report published by NBC News reveals, the drones used in attacks are usually small drones that are very popular among amateurs. They are either equipped with a small explosive that is dropped on the target, or they simply crash into a target like a self-detonating, unidirectional drone.

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Dozens of technology companies are currently working on systems to thwart potential drone attacks, including in the United States, where the targets could be civilian sites, according to academics and industry analysts.

Products under development in the drone defense sector range from communications jamming equipment to guns that shoot rapidly expanding webs to experimental lasers. As NBC News reveals, some of these products are quietly undergoing testing sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security at remote sites in Oklahoma and North Dakota, and analysts expect demand to grow rapidly, with potential customers including police departments, airports and sports stadiums.

Companies working on drone countermeasures range from large defense contractors, such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, to tech startups that produce “GPS spoofers” that convince a drone that it is somewhere else. Other products rely on concentrated bursts of microwaves to fry a drone’s electronics or on hacking tools to control its operation.

The anti-drone technology sector is known among insiders as unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS). Researchers at Bard College found in a 2019 report that there was already significant investment in the sector, with 277 manufacturers working on some form of anti-drone countermeasures.

According to experts, some drone countermeasures are already being deployed, at least to detect them, at European airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has also been testing systems at American airports: commercial airliners are the perfect target for terrorists, who can cause enormous damage with a single attack.

The Biden Administration encourages anti-drone research

The Department of Homeland Security has attempted to accelerate product and prototype research, partnering with at least two universities — Oklahoma State and the University of North Dakota — to help evaluate different anti-drone countermeasures.

Last year, the Biden Administration called on universities, private companies, and other researchers to come up with new ideas to address this threat. The administration has also pushed legislation to expand who can legally shoot down a drone, an authority that under current law is typically limited to federal agents. This legislation is pending approval in Congress.

Although the specter of drone terrorism has existed for years, the wars in Israel, Ukraine and Yemen have increased the urgency by demonstrating how the technology has progressed. Are we prepared to suffer such an attack in the West? It seems not.