Be careful where you fly your drone: The UK’s busiest airfield can now detect and track unmanned aerial vehicles within its boundaries.
Surveillance company Aveillant Limited this week announced deployment of anti-drone technology at Heathrow Airport, as part of a “bespoke set” of end-to-end measures.
A new counter-drone system, provided by Operational Solutions Ltd., pinpoints rogue UAVs in Heathrow’s no-fly zone and alerts officials. Fast and accurate detection aims to keep passengers safe while supporting the airport, law enforcement, and air traffic controllers.
The technology also aims to help Heathrow meet its sustainability objectives, by reducing fuel waste and additional flight stacking caused by unauthorized drones.
“The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our No. 1 priority,” Jonathan Coen, director of security for Heathrow Airport, said in a statement.
“That is why we’re investing in this new cutting-edge technology,” he continued, “which will enhance our capabilities in the detection and deterrence of drones in and around our airfield.”
This move comes after a January 2019 report that Heathrow and Gatwick airports invested millions of pounds in military-grade drone-fighting gear.
Other UK runways are expected to follow suit, though not all at the same scale as the London hubs.
Just before Christmas 2018, Gatwick shut down operations following reports of drones flying over the airfield. The runway briefly reopened early the next morning, but closed 45 minutes later due to another sighting.
Reports continued trickling in through the day, forcing Gatwick to remain closed and reroute inbound flights to alternative airports as far away as Amsterdam and Paris.
In August of last year, climate activists threatened to disrupt Heathrow traffic by flying toy drones, creating an “exclusion zone” and effectively shutting down the seventh busiest airport on the planet—which also happens to be Britain’s single largest source of carbon pollution.
In the UK, it is illegal to steer a drone through the Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ), which extends 5 km (3.1 miles) beyond any airfield boundary, and could cost the operator five years in prison.
More on Geek.com:
- UK Police Arrest Two People After Gatwick Airport Drone Scare
- Flights Grounded at Newark Airport After Two Drones Spotted Flying Nearby
- Drone Sightings Shut Down UK’s Second-Busiest Airport
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