Day two of the National Public Safety UAS Conference in Virginia began this morning with a series of sessions on the most important issues facing the public safety community. One of these challenges is the use of counter-UAS technology to protect against unauthorized drones in sensitive airspace, including prison airspace, where intrusions are becoming increasingly frequent.
Current counter-UAS technologies can detect, monitor, and mitigate, but the law does not allow anyone to interfere with the aircraft except under very specific, limited conditions when Department of Justice officials are authorized to do so. Neither public safety agencies nor private industry have the authority to shoot down rogue drones, regardless of what infrastructure they are responsible for protecting.
The expert panel discussing this issue this morning was moderated by DJ Smith, Virginia State Police Unmanned Aerial and CUAS Systems Program Coordinator, and comprised Counter UAS Hub Co-Architect Tom Adams, DHS cUAS Analyst Mary Rupert, and U.S. Airspace Security Coordinator. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Robert Campbell.
Dark drones and airspace awareness
Mary Rupert said air domain awareness is a top priority for DHS today. She said, “You can't set up a secure network without UTM and airspace awareness. How can you protect the airspace if you can't even see what's out there?”
Many organizations are currently using Aeroscope-based systems, but Rupert says this alone is not enough. “We really need a layered system so we can see everything, not just DJI drones.”
Dark drones, which have their RF signals disabled to make them more difficult to track, are emerging as a new threat. Tom Adams says airspace awareness is complex when it comes to combating dark drones and other emerging trends. “You always have to take a layered approach,” he said. “There is no panacea. “There is no way to detect every drone, and we also need to look at tools that show which aircraft are crewed.” The layered approach includes a variety of technologies, including ground-based tools such as radar, acoustic tools, and software that can translate all the information into an understandable format.
Current Legislative Landscape: SB 1631
DJ Smith started the panel by saying that policy is the most important aspect of cUAS today. Despite the availability of sophisticated cUAS tools, law enforcement currently has no authority to mitigate drone threats, and there is no current process to best respond to drone threats and define prosecutable offenses.
Mary Rupert says the legislative environment surrounding cUAS is fluid. “It depends on what day and who you ask,” she says. Currently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are the only agencies capable of performing advanced drone detection and mitigation. Within the agency, only certain departments have authority under limited constraints, and that authority must be continually renewed through extension. “It’s clearly not enough,” Rupert said.
Senate Bill 1631, currently before the Senate, could help expand the authority. SB 1631 identifies three major gaps in current authority:
- TSA provides the ability to proactively protect airports from drone threats.
- Empowers critical infrastructure providers, such as power plants or chemical facilities, to utilize advanced drone detection.
- Creates a pilot program for law enforcement agencies to implement counter-UAS mandates.
DJ Smith points out that SB 1631 further calls for a national reporting system that could help protect the country from major terrorist incidents. “When we look back at 9/11, we know that it missed some of the little things — little things that, when added together, might have hinted that something was going to happen.” National reporting on drone incidents: Whether these are multiple incidents using the same drone or multiple similar incidents in different locations can help indicate the larger picture.
“Drones are cheap and easy, and if you don’t connect small incidents to national reporting, you’re going to miss the little things,” Smith said.
As laws and threats evolve, the best way for law enforcement and those protecting critical infrastructure to stay informed and educate themselves is to work together, the panel agrees. “Counter UAS are great, authority is great, but it’s relationships that help us overcome this problem,” says Robert Campbell.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE, CEO of JobForDrones, a marketplace for professional drone services, and a keen observer of the emerging drone industry and the drone regulatory environment. Miriam has authored over 3,000 articles focusing on the commercial drone space and she is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam holds a degree from the University of Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience in high-tech sales and new technology marketing.
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