View Full Version : Drones shutdown London's Gatwick Airport
mojaveman
12-20-2018, 21:47
Drones forced the shutdown of London's Gatwick Airport on Thursday during one of the busiest times of the year.
The police said they didn't think it was a terrorist act. What kind of act was it then? Could you imagine someone doing something like this at LAX, DFW or JFK? How about a coordinated attack on all of the major airports in the U.S.?
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/holiday-chaos-as-drones-shut-londons-gatwick-airport
Drones forced the shutdown of London's Gatwick Airport on Thursday during one of the busiest times of the year.
The police said they didn't think it was a terrorist act. What kind of act was it then? Could you imagine someone doing something like this at LAX, DFW or JFK? How about a coordinated attack on all of the major airports in the U.S.?
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/holiday-chaos-as-drones-shut-londons-gatwick-airport
I suspect a lot of people here have quietly discussed a lot of offensive/defensive scenarios in closed company over a lot of coffee/beer/whiskey.
The price/performance disruption of Moore’s Law just makes it easier to come up with even more existing options.
And it doesn’t require much in the way of human involvement either, beyond one or a few unskilled meat robots to follow simple instruction while the brains remain offset.
So much cool stuff happening with technology. Truly amazing things already working at scale, in prototype, and in design.
And then the optimistic smile fades a bit when you realise a single malignant actor with the right skillset can force multiply his/her evil unlike ever before.
Not long ago(I’m paraphrasing) a senior Russian was blabbing at a conference about how Americans may have discovered electricity and invented the internet, but Russians know how to turn the power off.
That malignant attitude applies at both the macro(sovereign state) and micro(individual and illicit network) level.
CDRODA396
12-21-2018, 05:37
Perfect job opportunity for those with the hand/eye coordination to fly these things.
They pay people to ride around and keep birds away from airports, now they are going to have to start paying people with "Killer Drones," to monitor the airspace around major airports, and when identified, send up their Killer Drone to "down" the offender.
I don't know if ram, or engage "electronically," or other is the best approach, but I'm sure some smart guy will figure it out and sell it to Airport Managers around the globe. Possibilities are endless!
Going to look like the skies over France during WWI with drones in aerial dogfights around major airports!
The frequency range is pretty small. It seems that jamming around airports would be easy.
Badger52
12-21-2018, 20:07
The frequency range is pretty small. It seems that jamming around airports would be easy.There are COTS devices already in the hands of many agencies that can locate/nuke the operating freq of a given drone; and if its operating system says "run home to mama when I lose my way" so much the better - you follow it.
I've read stories of LA agencies using these to keep people away from big sporting events and Hollyweird premieres, etc.
Very British,
Names >> Elaine Kirk and Paul Gait
Pictures >> c attached
Information on the perps >> spotty
Christmas chaos at Gatwick, what we know so far...
Cops arrest man, 47, and woman, 54, after 1,000 flights cancelled or diverted
The Sun revealed how a cyclist was spotted "frantically" packing two drones into a bag near the airport
Gatwick fully open with 757 flights scheduled today - but passengers warned of some disruption
Planes were grounded yesterday after a drone was sighted again over the airfield
The Army deployed 'drone killer' tech used in fight against ISIS jihadis to bring down the machines
‘Eco warriors are suspected to be behind attack as possible protest to airport expansion
Thousands are set for refunds and compensation after flights cancelled or delayed
“It was pretty weird considering what had happened at the airport during the day.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8042572/gatwick-airport-arrests-latest-cyclist-spotted/
news article with some info: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8044497/pictures-gatwick-drone-man-woman-arrested/
Today, 2018/12/23,, They have been releases and are no longer suspects..
Gatwick drones pair 'no longer suspects', 11 minutes ago
A man and woman arrested in connection with drone sightings that grounded flights at Gatwick Airport have been released without charge.
The 47-year-old man and 54-year-old woman, from Crawley, West Sussex, were arrested on Friday night on suspicion of "the criminal use of drones".
Flights were suspended for more than 36 hours when the device was first spotted close to the runway on Wednesday night.
Sussex Police said the pair were no longer suspects.
Det Ch Supt Jason Tingley said: "Both people have fully co-operated with our inquiries and I am satisfied that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick.
"Our inquiry continues at a pace to locate those responsible for the drone incursions, and we continue to actively follow lines of investigation."
tom kelly
12-22-2018, 17:35
There is not only a problem with Drones, but there is also a problem with rules, regulations, standards, and laws and the reason IMHO there are NO SIGNIFICANT consequences for ignoring anything that is an inconvenience. Example, Almost no one obeys traffic laws. The speed limit on most expressways is 55 mph if you do 55 cars will pass you like your standing still. The drones will continue to be an escalating problem untill some terrorist attaches an explosive to one and causes a tragedy. Then drones will be illegal and if caught with one you will go to prison. The liberal left-leaning of the US population is a major cause for this. tom kelly