Dedrone Study Analyzes Drone Activity at UK Airports
January 9, 2019
We wonder if would be bad actors are reading about drones?
A very brief write-up at OodaLoop calls our attention to an interesting study—“2018 Results: Dedrone UK Airport Counter-Drone Study.” By quietly installing monitoring devices at four UK airports,
Dedrone was able to track drone incursions, and deploy counter measures, at those locations. The company shares their results in a detailed blog post, complete with charts, conclusions, and a list of sources for further research. We suggest curious readers check it out. Meanwhile, the OodaLoop piece zeroes in on these takeaways:
“With 285 drones detected over a 148-day period (just under 2 per day), the study concluding with three key learnings and next steps: ‘1. the problem of unauthorized drones at airports is real, not anecdotal: Drones have appeared and disrupted UK airports in the past year, causing loss of revenue due to closed runways. Drone pilots fly a broad spectrum of technology from different drone manufacturers, and detection technology must be able to capture all drone activity: Drone detection systems must be able to detect all kinds of drones, regardless of the manufacturer. While DJI is the global market leader in drone technology by sales, they only represent 44% of the incursions at the airports studied. 3. UK drone pilots come out to fly at airports around the same time and days, and airports can strategically prepare for increased incursions during these period: The majority of the incursions occurred on weekend afternoons when drone hobbyists may be flying drones to capture footage for personal use.’ Finally, it is important to recognize that ‘all drones near airports are a threat, regardless of the pilot’s intentions.’”
Yes, I mentioned Dedrone deployed counter measures at its test airports when incursions were discovered. Though they may seem the most obvious, airports are not the only sites at risk from pesky drones. Dedrone has leapt upon on an emerging need—to secure organizations’ airspace from the increasing risk of drone intrusions. Founded in 2014, the company brought its first solution to market the next year. Based in San Francisco, they also happen to be hiring as of this writing.
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2019
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