• The risk of rogue drones at large, high-profile public events such as the Euro 2020 football competition, and the COP26 climate change conference highlights the importance of effective drone detection, identification and tracking technology to preserve public safety

With the rapid increase in the popularity of drones in recent years, there are now hundreds of thousands being used by hobbyists and businesses across the UK. The misuse of drones is rapidly becoming a new and developing threat. As well as safety and privacy issues, there is growing concern about the use of rogue drones for illegal activities such as smuggling drugs into prisons.

But police in the UK are being given new powers to prevent users from flying drones irresponsibly or illegally, with dedicated teams keeping an eye out for those breaking the rules.

Operation Foreverwing was set up in March as a collaboration between the Home Office, the police and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to clamp down on drone-related crime and illegal flying activities, and gave police officers the tools needed to tackle drone misuse. The police can now confiscate rogue drones being flown dangerously and they will also be able to issue on-the-spot fines. Recently it was reported that a rogue drone user was fined more than £5,000 for flying illegally over the MI6 building in central London.

Under the rules, anyone operating a drone that either weighs 250 grams or more, or one fitted with a camera, is required to register with the CAA. Those with drones weighing more than 250 grams must also pass a test on the CAA website.

There have been 200,000 registrations since November 2019 but there are many more still unregistered. Many of the rules for registered, large drones are common sense, but those wilfully breaking them face fines, and anyone endangering aircraft could receive a prison sentence.

The main concern is about aviation safety and how aircraft and drones can legally share airspace, but the emphasis is on the drone operator, because they are more likely to be able to see a helicopter or aircraft, than a pilot will see a drone.

Rogue Drones at High-Profile Public Events

At high-profile public events taking place in the UK, such as the current Euro 2020 football competition, and the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November, police will be keeping a lookout for rogue drones. The choice of drone detection, identification and tracking technology is critically important to determining hostile behaviour and when it becomes a threat so at that point decisions can be made on an appropriate response to prevent the threat from becoming a public safety hazard.

This requires a different approach to monitoring public spaces using technologies that are sufficiently passive so as not to infringe civil liberties but at the same time be sufficiently active to provide rapid detection of dangerous rogue drones and hostile intent.

While legislation and education may provide some deterrent to users who wish to fly recklessly or illegally, the choice of technology is critical to successful and effective detection.  

None of this can be sustainable until a comprehensive and largely automatic airspace management solution is established.

Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) Systems

Work to develop the standards that would govern such a system is already underway and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems are being rolled out in many parts of the world. These systems will rely on drone operators making their aircraft electronically conspicuous and building in the mechanisms that would allow the UTM system to control them directly, and where they could fly.

Such highly controlled flight operations should be welcomed by everyone, from hobbyists to commercial drone operators and the air traffic management sector. The infrastructure required to make such a system work would then provide useful data about the rogue drones.

Regardless of the stage of maturity of the UTM systems, drone detection will continue to consist of a number of different sensors that provide data into a management platform where it can be analysed, classified and presented to operators for action when appropriate.

Multi-mode radar can provide one of the most effective solutions for detection of rogue drones. Multi-mode radar offers an effective and affordable way to cover the large areas, scanning air, land and water simultaneously and detecting small and slow threats in each domain alongside traditional threats, including hobby drones.

Further Reading – Multi-Mode Radars

• Multi-Mode Radar White Paper >> Open PDF in new window

As Cornwall welcomed some of the most powerful world leaders at the G7 summit, the event has highlighted the importance of coastal security.  Protecting coastlines from intruders and threats to security is a growing concern for nations around the world.  Each country has its own unique set of problems – illegal immigration, asylum seekers, smugglers, terrorists, pirates and the ever-increasing potential for rogue drones.

The importance of coastal security was brought sharply into focus in 2008 after terrorists using sea routes and taking advantage of vulnerabilities in India’s coastline security, launched a terror attack on Mumbai.  Closer to home, recent news reports have suggested that migrant Channel crossings are set to reach a new peak this summer.  And only last week, after months of preparation, the UK played host to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the US at Carbis Bay in St Ives in what was the biggest and most complex security and policing events in England this year.  The event saw parts of Cornwall transformed into tightly-controlled secure zones – with mobile radar equipment positioned on beaches for monitoring air targets, police on jet-skis and British naval warships patrolling an exclusion zone around the coastal venue.

The control of coastal waters requires sensors that can reliably locate and track critical objects even under the most difficult conditions.  Small boats and other craft may be used by intruders, moving slowly and covertly while others may choose to reach the shore as quickly as possible.  Detecting small, and slow moving targets by day or by night and under all weather conditions including rough seas and rain, is the principal challenge and goal for any coastal security system.

Coastal Security with Multi-mode Radars

Multi-mode radars that detects air, ground and waterborne targets simultaneously can provide one of the most effective solutions for these situations.

Sea-based maritime and coastal surveillance has previously focused on monitoring ships that want to be seen, such as fishing boats and leisure vessels.  The threat environment has evolved and immigration by boat has become a critical issue.  The priority is now on tracking vessels which are trying to stay hidden, targets that are trying to evade detection low in the water below the radar, such as small boats which are hard to see.

Multi-mode radars can provide monitoring of shipping lanes at sea and into port, safety and rescue assistance and commercial boats and ships.  The radar can be switched between modes for either, ground, air or coastal security or can operate all three modes simultaneously.

The growth in the commercial and hobby use of drones has generated an increasing demand for precision detection particularly in the case of small “hobby” drones.  For many security applications it is the mis-use of drones that has created the greatest challenge.

Coastal security radars detect commercial boats, ships and smaller boats with radar reflectors, monitor shipping lanes, track ships out of position, prevent collisions and provide guidance for vessels into ports.  But the two-fold requirement we now face is the need to detect small surface targets as well as airborne drones.  Illegal immigrants are often packed into small non-reflective boats sitting low in the water and which are fairly covert and not easily visible.  Smugglers use semi-submersibles or unmanned surface vehicles which are far smaller than traditional boats.  Drones are often used for the surveillance of landing areas to check that the coast is clear, and for ‘last-mile’ contraband drop-offs.

There are not many locations that require ground, sea and air radar coverage at one site, although the coastal position of the G7 summit may be one, however it is the ability of the radar to be able to manage the three modes that also allows it to offer effective ground and air, or coastline and air surveillance.

As the nature of threats evolve, so too must the capability of the radar systems needed to detect them.  Future radars will be more compact, and lower cost.  Multi-mode radars offer an effective and affordable way to cover the large areas needed for coastal security, scanning air, land and sea simultaneously and detecting small and slow threats in each domain alongside traditional threats, including ‘hobby’ drones.

Further Reading – Coastal Security & Multi-Mode Radars

• Coastal & Harbour Security White Paper >> Open PDF in new window
• Multi-Mode Radar White Paper >> Open PDF in new window

• The close call between a rogue drone and an aircraft carrying the UK’s leading diplomat reminds us of the challenges we face to keep the skies safe against evolving threats.

It was recently reported that an RAF aircraft, carrying a delegation of UK government officials returning home from meetings in Brussels, was involved in a ‘drone near miss’ with a 3 foot wide Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in the skies above London.  As shocking as this story is, it is certainly not the first example of unmanned ‘hobby drones’ coming into close contact with aircraft, potentially putting lives at danger, and it certainly won’t be the last.

As the use of drones for commercial and recreational purposes increases, the risk of this type of incident is also on the rise.  Just six drone near miss incidents were recorded in 2010, increasing to 125 in 2019.  Hobbyists in Gloucestershire were recently warned by police after an unlicensed drone came close to hitting an aircraft flying at an altitude of 700m; while infamously in December 2018, drone sightings caused London Gatwick airport to close for two days.

This trend is prompting a reassessment of how we manage our airspace to ensure it remains safe, and usable, for everyone that needs it.

How to Avoid Drone Near Miss Incidents?

At Blighter we have traditionally developed our UAS-detecting radars for defence and security applications, but we recognise the growing need for effective counter-UAS systems in a wider range of operating environments.

Trials by major commercial companies have looked at using UAS for everything from delivering Amazon packages to vital blood and other medical supplies.  The more successful these trials are, the more congested and contested we can expect to find our airspace.  A knock-on rise in drone near miss incidents is inevitable.

Among the numerous systems in our airspace there will also be hostile actors.  The challenge now facing the global security, defence, and aviation industries, is how do we distinguish between what has the right to be in our airspace and what does not.

Regulation will have a part to play in this, but at a day-to-day operating level, the systems that are in place to detect UAS threats will need to be more advanced.

This will require our radars not just to be able to detect everything in the skies but will also rely on us being able to identify and classify the targets.  Radar systems that Blighter has deployed across the globe have been integrated with advanced electro-optic capabilities to allow us to identify the UAS and, using radio frequency direction-finding capabilities, allow us to locate the pilot.

This type of UAS detection capability is not just used for special, high-value operations, but is easily accessible for any location that may be at risk.  Part of this will be in industry’s hands, but it will also require wider support to reduce the prevalence of drone near miss incidents.

Blighter’s Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Mark Radford, recently gave a presentation to the UK Home Office’s first Counter-UAS Industry Action Group, highlighting the need for more government support to facilitate the accessibility of anti-drone test centres as well as the importance of sharing information between C-UAS providers and government.

If we are to embrace a future where UAS are used for ordinary commercial activities currently fulfilled by cars, it is imperative that the appropriate technological infrastructure is in place to support it.