Rapid Solution Demanded to Counter Explosive Drones

Rapid Solution Demanded to Counter Explosive Drones

President Barack Obama delivers a health care address to a joint session of Congress at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

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A US lawmaker is asking the Air Force to expedite its acquisition and development of technology to combat the growing threat of explosive drones overseas that could also be used for attacks on the homeland.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, of California, sent a letter to Air Force Secretary, Deborah Lee James, recently, asking for a detailed briefing on where the service stands in developing new technology to counter the threat, as well as what resources are available.

“The recent use of an explosive unmanned aerial system by the Islamic State — resulting in several deaths and injuries — reveals a new threat from America’s adversaries with access to inexpensive and commercially available unmanned aircraft,” Hunter wrote in the letter. “While this incident occurred amid operations in Iraq, I am no less concerned about the use of this method by the Islamic State, and other actors, to launch attacks on homeland targets.” Hunter also said he would “strongly encourage” increasing the attention and emphasis placed on developing systems to counter unmanned threats.

The letter comes shortly after James spoke about how the quickly growing threat of explosives attached to small, cheap drones is not compatible with the Pentagon’s bureaucratic and slow-moving acquisition system.

“It’s an example of something we have to attack quickly,” James said. James also talked about two recent incidents overseas involving commercial, unmanned systems. One saw four people killed, though none was an American, while the other required the U.S. Air Force to use “electronic measures” to bring down a drone.