LAS VEGAS. Video evidence has surfaced of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly referred to as a drone, flying exceeding close to a Frontier Airlines commercial passenger jet as it approaches McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials are investigating the latest incident in a growing problem of UAS activity near airports, which is illegal. The activity, being condemned by industry, highlights the need for a high-tech solution at airports and other critical locales.
Recreational operators are required to give notice for flights within five miles of an airport to both the airport operator and air traffic control (ATC) tower, if the airport has a tower. However, recreational operations are not permitted in Class B airspace around most major airports without specific air traffic permission and coordination, according to the FAA.
Many in the aerospace community are condemning the UAS activity, and others are encouraging the use of technology to thwart reckless and illegal use of UAS in and around airports.
Officials at DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO), a provider of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) detection and mitigation products, described the disturbingly close flight maneuver as a dive-bomb and listed more, equally concerning, near-misses.
Recent incidents involving UAS and manned aircraft include:
- A drone struck a passenger Boeing plane descending over theme park in Argentina.
- A drone hit a commercial aircraft in Canada.
- A drone and an airliner collided in Canada.
- The Ben Gurion Airport in Israel halted traffic as a drone was spotted shortly after the United States Vice President Mike Pence disembarked from Air Force Two at the airport during a state visit.
- A man in New Zealand was charged over the use of a drone which grounded eight helicopters involved in fighting an out-of-control fire.
- A plane missed a drone by “three seconds” over Glasgow.
- Multiple near misses between planes and drones at Edinburgh airport.
- The Sao Paolo Congonhas airport was shut down for 2 hours due to a drone scare.
- Close encounters between planes and drones were reported at an Alabama airport.
- Drones were reported to have impeded California firefighting efforts.
- A drone prompted a diversion of an Arkansas wildfire surveillance plane.
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“Each incident of near collision between manned aircraft and drones has the potential of causing a heavy loss of life, both in the air and on the ground,” DroneShield officials say. “Further, each such incident has the potential to cause substantial economic losses. Airports are not powerless against the nearly-emerged (and no longer emerging) drone threat.”
DroneShield’s DroneSentinel UAS detection system provides early warning of an incoming unmanned aircraft, including the location of the UAS and the pilot. The system includes passive radio frequency, as well as radar, acoustic, thermal, and optical sensors. DroneSentinel can be combined with a jammer (in the DroneSentry product) to neutralize the incoming threat, following the detection. DroneShield’s DroneGun is capable of mobile deployment to intercept rogue UAS, as a tactical gun-like jammer.
“Airports around the world have commenced budget allocations to drone detection and mitigation,” officials say. “DroneShield is proud to be leading the drone mitigation effort, in partnership with proactive rather than reactive infrastructure industry market leaders globally. But more needs to be done, in order to prevent the otherwise inevitable tragedies from happening.”
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