Today an article appeared in one of the Dutch news papers (NRC Handelsblad, warning: Dutch language) in which was written that the Dutch Ministry of Justice is looking for ways to take over control of drones, jam the frequency on which the targeted drone is flying or locate the pilot of the drone.
Ministry of Justice started a tender (warning: Dutch language) on which companies (and private persons?) can make proposals to achieve the above. Below the introduction (Google translate) of this tender.
Unmanned systems are now relatively cheap and easy to buy. A typical example is a 'unmanned aircraft' or 'drone'. The Ministry of Security and Justice, along with the Royal Military Police and the National Police, looking for innovative solutions that can be used to protect against cell systems used. For example, they are thinking of solutions that control checks take over the system or interfere mislead or indicate the location of the driver of the system. However, any other part of a solution that contributes to the detection, identification or the controlled removal of an unmanned system is welcome. This SBIR focuses on developing protection against flying, driving and sailing systems. Systems that are commercially available or can be produced from commercially available components. Relatively easily assembled
Comments
Fully understandable - imagine this - the payload is not some heavy DSLR for invading someones privacy, but something as large as 5Ah 3S LiPo but made from C4 or Semtex and on the way somewhere at speed and in full autonomous mode.
Ya jamming the communication of a real drone will do nothing. A "drone" does not need a human to control it as it has a preprogrammed mission that will go on with or with out communication. Now a remote controlled flying device yes that would have an effect.
This is another European idiotic bureaucratic move to take control over everything that could escape authorities. Not only is this dangerous, as noted already by other posters, but it is also useless. I suspect there is a terrorist threat/fear in the background. If so terrorists could flood any interception system by swarms of auto missioned drones at very little altitude. It is like hand guns: forbidding them does not impeach gangsters to get them. On the other hand, the quasi entirety of honest people will follow the rules without a need for dangerous interceptions with microwaves or other methods.
It is completely legitimate for authorities to want to be able to take out a drone at a distance. There are of course serious risks involved, but authorities seeking to disable a drone mid-flight will think through that calculation carefully.
I agree with Gary, physically disrupting flight would be difficult (especially in time-sensitive situations) and while simply jamming control's with brute force would be relatively easy, it wouldn't be of much help if a drone is following a flight plan (there are more and more technologies coming out that don't rely on GPS or GPS alone to guide a plane). A directed microwave beam seems like the best solution; the question is i) what would be the impact of an uncontrolled crash (foamies are one thing, an octocopter with a heavy digital camera and 6000mAh LiPo is another), and ii) what effect would a microwave beam on potential payloads.
Disrupting GPS, emergency, or other legitimate frequencies could do more harm than good and have unintended consequences, so such technology should only be used if/when there is a serious danger and should be proportional to that danger:
If a drone has flown over an airport fence and is heading towards a runway, bring it down. If someone is flying irresponsibly in the park, go over and talk to the guy!
Might be doable for RC "drones" to at least jam them and of course you have to be prepared for them to fall out of the sky or simply go somewhere else and cause damage there, so high associated liability that you actually cause a problem rather than fix it.
As for actually taking control, that would be a trick on a 2.4ghz frequency hopping radio where the original one is still broadcasting too so out of control is probably the best you could hope for.
And maybe you can come up with a 2.4ghz rdf.
But not going to do anything at all regarding full autonomous "drones" unless you embrace the Colorado mayor's concept of skeet shooting.
Maybe directed high energy microwave could at least swamp GPS and receiver.
But still best result you can expect is an out of control UAV.
And once we start using fiber optic ring gyros instead of GPS no electronic countermeasure will be effective.
I totally support the desire to develop a system that would allow people to find the person controlling the drone. That seems like a great idea.
But jamming or taking it over... not so much. Maybe could be used by the authorities in emergency situations, but not some widespread thing.