London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports have invested millions into anti-drone defenses following a drone attack in December, according to the UK media. Previously, the military had to provide its own countermeasures.
Image: Getty Images/J. Taylor
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Two of Britain's busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, are buying military-grade drone protection systems, the UK media reported on Friday.
The decision was reportedly made after a drone scare grounded about 1,000 flights and caused a shut down at Gatwick in December. Around 140,000 people had their travel plans disrupted. The police detained a man and a woman over the incident, but the two were subsequently cleared of suspicion and released on December 23. No new suspects have been arrested since.
Following the disruption, the officials at Gatwick called in the military to deploy anti-drone systems and ensure air safety. According to the UK's Times, the Defense Ministry equipment included the Israeli "Drone Dome" tracking and jamming system, which has a maximum range of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles.) The UK bought systems from Israel earlier in 2018.
This week, the UK's Defense Ministry told the media that the military measures have been pulled from the London airports. On Thursday, The Times reported that both Gatwick and Heathrow had ordered their own anti-drone defenses "worth several million pounds" which would be able to match the military's systems.
The Gatwick Airport had already "equipped itself for the same level as was supplied by the armed forces originally," airport representatives said in a statement cited by the Financial Times.
Heathrow representatives also confirmed the report on ordering anti-drone technology, saying that the safety of passengers was their "top priority."
In the UK, it is illegal to fly a drone within 1 kilometer of an airport or airfield boundary. Aviation officials have recently called for this limit to be expanded to 5 kilometers.
Government officials and the chiefs of UK's major airports are set to meet and discuss the state of their anti-drone defenses next week.
French army grooms eagles to down drones
Faced with the risk of drones being used to snoop, or carry out attacks on French soil, the air force is showing its claws, training fearsome golden eagles to take out unmanned aircraft in mid-flight.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
D'Artagnan attacks the enemy
Since mid-2016, d'Artagnan has been trained to target potential aerial threats. The other trained birds at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase are called Athos, Porthos and Aramis, all characters from Alexandre Dumas', "The Three Musketeers."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
French air force is showing its claws
Some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Bordeaux, Mont-de-Marsan is one of five air bases in France that uses falconry. Usually, the birds of prey are kept to scare other birds away from the runway. This reduces the risk of accidents during takeoff or landing. But with France on high alert since January 2015, after a string of terrorist attacks, they have now been appointed drone hunters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Mission accomplished for d'Artagnan
Within 20 seconds the raptor has the drone between its talons. It pins it to the ground and covers it with its broad wings. Police in the Netherlands were the first to come up with the idea of using raptors to catch drones, introducing bald eagles into the service in late 2015.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Meat served on a drone
Eagles are fast, reaching speeds of up to 80 km (50 miles) per hour. Hatched in captivity, the four "musketeers" were served food atop wrecked drones from the age of three weeks. This taught the birds to seize remotely piloted aircraft for food. Now, when they hear a buzzing drone, their hunting instinct kicks in. Their falconer rewards successful interceptions with a hunk of meat.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Drone hunting
The French army followed suit last year, but opted for the golden eagle. These birds are natural-born killers with hooked beaks, amber eyes and a wingspan of up to 2.2 meters (seven feet). Like all birds of prey, the golden eagle has excellent eyesight and is capable of spotting its target from two kilometers away.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
Unusual prey
The golden eagle has powerful feet, that are feathered all the way to the toes and large, sharp talons to snatch up a variety of prey. This is usually rabbits, squirrels or hares. But in Mont-de Marsan they go for drones.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Gobet
The Army cares for its comrades
To prevent the birds from harming themselves, the military has designed mittens made of leather and Kevlar, an anti-blast material, to protect their talons. "I love these birds," their falconer says. "I don't want to send them to their deaths." The falconer cautions against setting "impossible" tasks for birds, such as launching them against larger drones with potentially deadly propellers.
