UK can now deploy drone detection systems across the kingdom

The UK Security Secretary said the UK is now “capable of deploying drone detection systems across the UK” to combat threats like the one at London Gatwick airport last week.

The minister, Ben Wallace, does not go into detail about how those detection systems work exactly. He also does not mention what can be done about a possible drone in violation, on what scale this action could take place and how quickly a drone could then be taken out of the air. That writes the BBC.

He does say that ‘the proliferation of drones, combined with the challenges of deploying military countermeasures in civilian environments, means that there are no easy solutions’. The minister also states that drone pilots who carry out ‘reckless or criminal’ flights can expect ‘the most severe punishment’.

According to the BBC, London Gatwick itself has invested five million pounds, or about 5.6 million euros, in technology to prevent such incidents in the future.

Australia is also learning from the events of the past week. Next month, the country will start installing surveillance systems, first at airports and then at other ‘hotspots’. There will also be a new registration system and higher maximum fines for illegal flights: the equivalent of 6,179 euros.

Air traffic at London Gatwick was shut down for much of the time last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because drones had been spotted in the area. 140,000 travelers were stranded as a result and the financial damage is estimated at millions of pounds. The pilot or pilots have not yet been arrested.

There are no images of the drones at London Gatwick; the authorities acted on the basis of 67 reports. A British police official said the possibility that there were actually no drones at all was considered, but a government source now tells the BBC that was a miscommunication.