It was bound to happen. For only £800 000 anybody can now buy some kit that can detect a drone from 5 miles away and then disrupt the drone to the point of a crash should they choose to do so. Ouch!
Known as Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) the blighters who have developed the technology in the UK are Blighters Surveillance Systems who claim they can freeze drones in midair using radio beams to interfere with their control channels. The systems have been tested and proved effective, so we don’t recommend playing cat and mouse with them.
As said earlier, it was bound to happen. If you manage a nuclear power plant or a strategic factory or an airport, you will want to ensure no drone gets too close. Investing in some sort of AUDS will help stop up a gap in your security system and you’ll sleep better at night.
How does it affect drone photography businesses like LUNAR Aerial Imaging? Not too much, we hope. We follow the CAA guidelines on where we can fly and what permissions are necessary. We always carry out pre-flight checks to ensure we don’t put anybody or anything at risk and to avoid alarming anyone with security worries; we study online and hard copy aeronautical maps as well as Google Earth and communicate with relevant airports and strategic sites in order to secure permissions where needed and to put minds at rest.
Our only worry about all this is that some clever chappy will develop a much cheaper version of Blighters’ monster which Maplin will stock and sell, but are pretty sure that there are laws already in place preventing unauthorized people using radio jammers and similar technology. We certainly hope so.
