home Perimeter Security Access Control The Danger of small unmanned aerial systems

The Danger of small unmanned aerial systems

Feb 1, 2015

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The quadcopter that flew over the south grounds of the White House

There is currently no available off-the-shelf technology to cope with the danger posed by small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) – aka drones.

According to experts, the danger is serious but there are no immediate answers.

This is the first conclusion from the incident in which a small drone landed a few days ago on the white house lawn.

Monday’s drone incident on the White House lawn exposed a security gap that Secret Service and counterterrorism officials have been studying for years, but for which they have yet to develop a solution.

Four days before the incident, lawmakers examining White House security protocols in response to a series of intrusions, were warned by a panel of experts that the Secret Service’s inability to identify and disable drones remained a top vulnerability, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

The “quadcopter” drone flew over the south grounds of the White House around 3 a.m. without triggering any alarms, but was spotted by a Secret Service officer. The device then crashed, prompting a lockdown of the premises until agents determined the area to be safe.

According to Home land Security New Wire, at about 9 a.m., a man called authorities to report that he had mistakenly flew and crashed the drone into the White House.

DHS and Secret Service officials have long studied how attackers could use drones to harm potential targets, including nuclear power plants and military bases.

The Washington Post reports that the Monday incident is not the first time a drone had violated the airspace surrounding the White House or the Capitol.

The Post notes that even if a small drone flying outside the White House is identified and captured before it causes harm, security agents could have a difficult time tracking the operator.

Currently, the FAA does not require noncommercial drones to be registered to their owners, and operators are not required to obtain a license.