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BBC:
The Army has deployed "specialist equipment" to Gatwick Airport as the travel chaos caused by drone activity shows no sign of abating. Tens of thousands of passengers on several airlines have been disrupted by drones flying over the airport. In a tweet, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson had confirmed the military deployment.
He said: "The armed forces have a range of unique capabilities and this isn't something we would usually deploy but we are there to assist and do everything we can so that they are in a position to open the airport at the earliest opportunity."
Gatwick's runway has been shut since Wednesday night because devices have been repeatedly flown over the airfield.
Free insightful mods for the most creative solution.
Updates:
Shooting down a drone which has caused chaos at Gatwick Airport is a "tactical option" being considered by police. The measure had previously been ruled out by Sussex Police, which cited concerns over "stray bullets". But with the airport expected to remain closed on Friday, Det Ch Supt Jason Tingley said the force would "do what we can to take that drone out of the sky".
Gatwick runway reopens after disruption
A Gatwick spokesperson said: "Gatwick's runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival. Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations."
Related: 3,500 Troops on Standby to Prepare for a "No-Deal Brexit"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 21 2018, @07:31AM (2 children)
Regulation, no fly zones, serious signage, and serious penalties for flying in the airport's airspace.
Most physical solutions have a wide range of possible negative effects, the first of which is where does the drone land if it gets shot down?
The only physical solution I can imagine is other drones, but that has its own possible issues with collision and such. If the biggest issue is people who just fly the drone somewhat nearby but too far to see no-fly signs, then maybe some drones with loudspeakers that can fly out to any remote transmitters and announce the flight ban and record the situation.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday December 21 2018, @10:23AM
Regulation, no fly zones, serious signage, and serious penalties for flying in the airport's airspace.
Got that. May help stop the average joe playing with his new toy, but not a concerted effort from a well funded group with heavy duty drones who want to disrupt an airport for some reason (which is what was going on here)
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Friday December 21 2018, @11:19AM
That's four options, and they are already in place, and don't work.
As for where the drone falls down, the point is that it is over an airfield which is a fairly empty area, especially with no planes flying. A bigger problem is where the bullets land if you shoot it down with eg a Gatling gun (which would be quite easy). Shotgun pellets are fairly harmless though by the time they land at terminal velocity from being shot high. Probably need a super-charged shotgun though to reach height, so perhaps best deployed by a "fighter" drone.