What is anti-drone technology?

The evolution of drone technology has not only expanded the capabilities of drones but have also made them more affordable and accessible than ever. Despite the huge benefits of drones, it cannot be denied that some people have used them for malicious reasons. The public perception of drones isn’t exactly stellar either, especially in the light of numerous drone stalking incidents and close encounters of drones with manned aircraft.

The intrusion of drones in areas where they are not welcome has led to the development of anti-drone technology. How do these anti-drone devices work? Are they really necessary?

Drones can be particularly useful in the right hands, but its widespread use has come with a whole set of problems. Despite the efforts of the FAA and the NTSB to regulate drone flight, there is still nothing stopping unlicensed and unregistered drone pilots from engaging in suspicious activities. A good example is a widely reported incident in Orem, Utah from 2016. In this case, a downed drone was found to have taken several photos and videos of people through their windows, all without their consent.

Despite drone-aided voyeurism being particularly concerning, there are even bigger problems that have been caused by malicious drone flight. Just a few months ago, the Gatwick Airport in London had to be shut down due to the presence of several drones who then played a game of cat-and-mouse with law enforcers. A few years ago, a drone pilot was convicted with violating several drone regulations when he flew a drone over the Buckingham Palace, the Parliament, and over various major football stadiums – an activity which posed huge safety and security issues.

With so many similar cases, the public and law enforcement can hardly be blamed for pushing for legitimate anti-drone technology. The potential uses of anti-drone technology are so numerous that it has spawned an industry of its own. Nowadays, there’s a variety of signal jammers, radio spoofers, drone interceptors, and compressed air guns that are all designed to knock drones off the sky.