Predictable as a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors
Meet the Counter-Measure.
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As drones increase in availability, more organizations and governments are looking for ways to protect assets from nefarious drones. Fortem has developed a system called DroneHunter that, well, hunts drones. Literally. DroneHunter involves detecting and then removing drones by shooting them down or capturing them with another drone. This is dogfighting with drones.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/08/fo...-rogue-drones/
I can't wait for the Counter-Counter Measure.
The Islamic State and Drones: Supply, Scale, and Future Threats
From CTC @ West Point this unread paper 'The Islamic State and Drones: Supply, Scale, and Future Threats':
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how the Islamic State was able to pull off its drone feats and bring its program to scale in a relatively short amount of time...... It also highlights some of the broader threat and policy implications associated with the Islamic State’s pioneering use of drones.
Link:https://ctc.usma.edu/islamic-state-d...future-threats
North Waziristan: a complicated story of drone warfare
A short commentary on the intense US aerial campaign against militant Islamist groups between 2009 and 2014, in Pakistan's tribal areas (FATA) and in particular North Waziristan.
It is part of an academic project into drones (UAV) at Birmingham University (UK):
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we carried out more than 30 interviews and two general surveys, with more than 400 respondents, in Pakistan to assess the impact of the drones in the tribal areas. From what they told us, we learned that conflicting perceptions of the use of drones can shape not only conflict but also coexistence – and even cooperation.
It ends with a passage, which echoes much of what SWJ is about:
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In a nutshell, the reason the drone campaign helped dash hopes of a settlement was the social, political, and cultural dynamics of Pakistan’s tribal region and the way the tribal system’s core elements were undermined. If you want to explain what happened to the short-lived peace process in Pakistan in 2013-14, you have to start there. And so does anyone charged with coming up with any new counter-insurgency strategy, whether it includes drone strikes or not.
Link:https://theconversation.com/interviews-with-pakistani-civilians-and-pervez-musharraf-tell-a-complicated-story-of-drone-warfare-102288?
ISIS’s use of drones in Syria and Iraq and the threat of using them overseas
An Israeli think tank report that may be of interest; only partially read.
Link:https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en...orist-attacks/
The U.S. Drone War in Pakistan Revisited
A short article via Lawfare, it starts with this and my bold added:
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Many
analysts,
practitioners, and
scholars are skeptical of the efficacy of drone strikes for counterterrorism, suggesting that they provide
short-term gains at best and are
counterproductive at worst. .....
Contrary to the skeptics, I find that drone strikes in Pakistan were effective in degrading the targeted armed groups. And, troublingly, they succeeded in doing so even though they harmed civilians.
There are numerous links within, which I have not explored.
Link:https://www.lawfareblog.com/us-drone...stan-revisited
Armed Drones in the Middle East: Proliferation and Norms in the Region
From RUSI and on open access. Their aim was to:
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...to provide an in-depth inventory of armed drones possessed by Middle Eastern states, assessing quantity, types and timeframes; and to explore where and how armed drones have been used so far, to assess whether and how countries' practices and ethical considerations around airpower and airstrikes are affected.
The two main research questions addressed in this paper are:
- What are the flows of UAV technology from and to the Middle East and their uses?
- Which norms, practices and methodologies are exported to and/or used by Middle Eastern powers in the deployment of UAV technology
The focus of the study is on UAVs that fall under the ‘Category 1’ and ‘Category 2’ definitions of the Missile Technology Control Regime. In the Middle East, the countries that operate or simply possess these drones are Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.
Link:https://rusi.org/publication/occasio...d-norms-region
A few reasons why cops haven't immediately shot down London Gatwick airport drone men
British Army deploys Israeli anti-drone kit to Gatwick
A rather well informed article, complete with photos of the kit in situ. It starts with:
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he Army used a cutting-edge Israeli anti-drone system to defeat the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that brought misery to hundreds of thousands of people at Gatwick airport. The British Army bought six 'Drone Dome' systems for £15.8 million in 2018 ....Police had been seen on Thursday with an off-the-shelf DJI system that tracks drones made by that manufacturer and shows officers where the operator is (DJI is the most popular commercial drone brand.)
Link:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...twick-UAV.html
I still prefer the PR disaster mitigation option of deploying Apache attack helicopters.:wry:
Capability, motive and defences
An academic overview after the Gatwick incident, with multiple links and it ends with:
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It’s not the
first time Gatwick Airport has had to contend with an errant drone, but this occasion should be a wake-up call to the need for reliable and affordable counter-measures, and the need to think more creatively about the potential risks posed by (multiple) drones more widely.
Link:https://theconversation.com/gatwick-...o-life-109187?