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Homeland Security bulletin warns of weaponized drones and threat to aviation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an updated terror bulletin on Thursday highlighting the threat of weaponized drones, chemical attacks and the continued targeting of commercial aircraft.
"We continue to face one of the most challenging threat environments since 9/11, as foreign terrorist organizations exploit the internet to inspire, enable or direct individuals already here in the homeland to commit terrorist acts," reads the bulletin.
[...] "The current bulletin introduces unmanned aircraft systems as potential threats and highlights sustained concern regarding threats against commercial aviation and air cargo," said DHS acting press secretary Tyler Houlton in a statement.
There's been an "uptick in terrorist interest" in using unmanned aerial systems as weapons in the United States and other western countries, according to a senior DHS official. These tactics have been used by terrorists on the battlefield, and the department wants to "guard against those tactics being exported to the west," said the official. The official said that DHS wants to be "forward leaning" about seeing what terrorists are doing overseas and tactics they might adopt in the future.
Since the last bulletin, concerns about terrorist targeting aviation sector have grown, said the official. "[T]errorists continue to target commercial aviation and air cargo, including with concealed explosives," reads the updated bulletin.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by ElizabethGreene on Wednesday November 15 2017, @06:56PM (4 children)
>> 30Km+ range video and control systems are commercial civilian off-the shelf items
>Can you provide examples of commercial versions of this?
http://www.dragonlinkrc.com/ [dragonlinkrc.com] is the one I use.
(Score: 2) by Knowledge Troll on Thursday November 16 2017, @12:47AM (3 children)
Thanks for sharing that link. I'm curious about regulations - do you need a license to operate equipment with that much power? I'm in the US and I have a 1 watt 5.8 ghz transmitter I use with my hexacopter but I use it with my amateur radio license. Unlicensed transmitters can't be over a few hundred milliwatts afaik.
(Score: 1) by ElizabethGreene on Wednesday November 22 2017, @11:54PM (2 children)
Yes, the DragonLink is over the no-license power limit for 433 MHz at its maximum power level. A technician class license is sufficient for it.
73, KJ4QCU
(Score: 2) by Knowledge Troll on Thursday November 23 2017, @04:15PM
Cool, 70cm! That's a great band. My rig can do SSB on 70cm and the noise floor is so low I can get full copy on stations that don't even move my S meter.
(Score: 2) by Knowledge Troll on Thursday November 23 2017, @04:28PM
I forgot to ask: do you know what modulation the transmitter is using? FM/AM/QAM?
My transmitter is FM. It is possible though with a transmitter that uses QAM and a few specific frequencies in the 70cm band for an off the shelf cable-ready TV to receive ATV signals with nothing but an antenna. I think ATV (amateur TV) is pretty cool!