Following the recent disruption of flights at London’s Gatwick Airport caused by rogue drones, the issue of CounterUAS technology has been thrust to the forefront of public policy across the globe.

On December 20, two commercial-sized drones flew over a runway, prompting an immediate shutdown of the airport, disrupting flights for around 140,000 people over a 36-hour period.
Following the incident, the British government expanded police powers to mitigate and neutralize drone threats, including the deployment of new CounterUAS measures.
"The [December] incident … where unauthorized drone activity impacted flight operations at Gatwick airport clearly demonstrates that [drone] operators' intent to cause disruption or harm which can create significant risks to the safety and security of the populace," a U.S. Department of Homeland Security press statement noted at the time.

For military forces at home and abroad, building an effective arsenal of CounterUAS tech is rapidly becoming a top agenda item – especially as it pertains to drone attacks in the Middle East, training of warfighters to deploy CounterUAS and keeping up with new strategies rogue drone pilots may develop.

For example, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has allocated $37 million towards Mobile Force Protection and $18.2 million towards the Aerial Dragnet program “to provide persistent, wide-area surveillance of all [drones] operating below 1,000 feet in a large city,”
The agency’s MFP is tasked with developing an integrated system that can defeat “self-guided” drones – defined as UAVs “that do not rely on a radio or GPS receiver for their operation.” By finding new anti-drone systems, DARPA hopes to protect high-value military convoys from rogue drone attacks.

In 2017, DARPA issued a Request for Information (RFI) to “identify promising [drone]-sensing and -neutralization technologies that could augment or complement MFP program currently under development.”

The U.S. Navy is seeking the purchase of two CounterUAS laser units and the budget for its Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) increased from $63.3 million to $190.2 million in 2018. In 2016, the Navy tested a virtual, CounterUAS “net” to both detect and destroy unauthorized drones. During the simulation – dubbed Black Dart -- the missile destroyers USS Lassen and USS Jason Dunham deployed a CounterUAS sensor system in the Gulf of Mexico that tracked quadcopters launched by U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.

No drones were destroyed or captured during the exercise; however, participants were trained to coordinate a simulated anti-drone exercise both in a novice phase, in which the drone route was known, and in a more advanced simulation where the drone’s route was a mystery.

As a means to better equip key players, the 2019 Counter UAS by IDGA will provide those in government, academia and industry with new tools to better understand new C-UAS legislation and emerging trends.

The event will be held on March 12-14, in Washington, D.C. and registration is now open. All active federal employees, to include military personnel, will be granted free admission to the event.