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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.
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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: 2) by Dr Spin on Friday December 21 2018, @11:49AM (4 children)
Alternatively:
a) Employ a few clay pigeon shooting champions. (Stray buckshot is not very deadly, and does not travel far on the scale of an airport).
b) use the high power laser weapons we keep hearing about (could be laser guided for a Brucey bonus).
Just about anything will bing down a drone - maybe excluding wishful thinking.
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(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Friday December 21 2018, @01:26PM
Oooh, ooh, I know! Put pictures of boobs on the runway! That'll attract the drones to a well-known, predefined spot for easy disposal!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 21 2018, @02:53PM (1 child)
Buckshot sounds nice, but then you have the problem of little drone pieces scattered all over - just waiting to get sucked into an engine or blow out a tyre.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Friday December 21 2018, @05:16PM
But aircraft aren't flying while the drones are around, thats the point. The drone pieces can be picked up after they are shot down, at least any pieces big enough to cause the damage you are worried about.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday December 21 2018, @05:09PM
I was thinking of hiring the local archery club to practice with streamers attached to the arrows. The streamers would need to be very light-weight, probably essentially threads, but the arrows themselves might get hit by the props. They could use padded arrow heads to avoid injuring anyone they hit.
The problem is how to you get them out shooting at the moment a wandering drone appears. So maybe an automated bolo launcher is a better idea. (AKA chain-shot, but I'm thinking of something lighter weight.)
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