Australia to install surveillance system to track drones

Australia will begin installing surveillance systems to identify and track drones next month. The Australian Aviation Authority reports that these will first be installed at major airports and later at other ‘drone hotspots’.

The Civil Avation Safety Authority, or CASA for short, tells AFP that the system uses sensors to identify a drone and its serial number. In addition, it could calculate the location of the drone pilot when the drone is in the air. Further technical details and what kind of sensors the system uses are not yet known.

In combination with a renewed registration system, which will come into effect in mid-2019, and increased maximum fines, the Australian government wants to take stricter measures against violating drone drivers. The fines can be up to 10,000 Australian dollars, which is converted to 6,179 euros.

Although the technology has been in development for some time, CASA communications manager Peter Gibson says the incident at England’s Gatwick airport “shows how important having such a system is.”

On December 19, several drones were spotted there, causing air traffic to be stopped several times for long periods. As a result, 140,000 travelers were stranded. Two suspects were arrested but have since been released. It is not yet known who piloted the drones, insofar as drones have actually flown; the local police take into account that in reality none flew at the airport at all.

Update, Tuesday: a British police officer said the possibility that there were actually no drones at London Gatwick had been considered, but a government source now tells the BBC that that was a miscommunication.