MILAN, Italy - Growing technology is making drones smaller, affordable and harder to detect, according to counter-drone manufacturers, but that defenses need to be effective regardless of drone type. China is a leader in the public safety marketplace, primarily through the production of commercial drones from Da Jang Innovations (DJI). A 2019 report found that 73 percent of public safety unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators in America were flying the DJI Mavic series drones; and by 2021, DJI controlled about 90% of the North American consumer market. Geopolitical tensions have frayed relations between the U.S. and China. American government officials are expressing alarm over the expansive use of Chinese UAS in the U.S. In a letter to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency sent in March, lawmakers warned that DJI could be providing “richly detailed, regularly updated pictures of our nation’s pipelines, railways, power generation facilities and waterways,” to the Chinese government. Matt McCrann, CEO of DroneShield, an Australian/U.S. maker of the “DroneGun” and other counter-UAS technologies, said that while Chinese products still dominate in this market, any C-UAS system must be able to defend against any type of drone. “C-UAS solutions need to be drone agnostic, meaning that they can detect, and when authorized, defeat more than just DJI drones,” he said. The company this month introduced the “DroneGun Mk4,” a portable countermeasure with enhanced range and upgraded features. “We are seeing a significant uptick in the number of federal end-users [for DroneGuns] who have active counter-drone requirements and whose authority to operate is expanding,” said Tom Branstetter, director of business development at DroneShield. (Defense News 04/18/23) ‘Agnostic’ drone guns can secure US infrastructure, manufacturer says (defensenews.com)
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