'NO DRONE ZONE!' When ignorance becomes a security threat

It seems safety and security incidents involving drones are now a weekly – if not daily – occurrence in the press. August, for example, saw a reported ‘near miss’ of a commercial UAV and a Flybe passenger aircraft carrying 62 people in Cornwall, UK, only weeks after a report revealed a similar incident at Stansted Airport in May involving a Boeing 737 and a privately owned drone. The same month also saw ‘the first fatality linked to the non-military use of drones’ in an incident at Wandsworth Prison in London.

And the risk is not just a problem for the UK. There have in recent days been reports of a drone crash at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in Cape Town, and a near-collision between a drone and a police helicopter in Edmonton, Canada.

This year’s Countering Drones forum will be providing a dedicated focus on the technologies and legal implications surrounding drone countermeasures for at-risk sites, it will also be offering scope on the efforts to raise public awareness on drone regulations so as to lessen the risk of negligent incidents.

Ahead of the event, read up on how one airport awareness campaign is putting private drone users on notice...

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