A new joint venture between aircraft manufacturer Airbus and California startup Dedrone has a security system that can detect drones miles away and shoot them down.
The system uses a network of cameras, radar, microphones, and directional scanners developed by Dedrone. The package can detect and target typical commercial drones from seven miles (10 kilometers) away.
Airbus' contribution to the system is a specially designed jammer that disrupts the drone's communications.
"Small drones have conquered low-altitude airspace. They are used by criminals for smuggling, espionage and terrorist attacks," said Dedrone CEO Jörg Lamprecht.
“We offer an effective solution for this new threat that will keep lower airspace safe. Our systems and those of Airbus complement each other perfectly, and combine the early detection of drones in near and far fields, with the ability to immediately and automatically launch effective countermeasures.”
Airbus's jamming system only uses the frequency used by commercial drones for communication, leaving other frequencies unaffected.
“Around the world, incidents with widely available small unmanned aircraft have revealed a security gap in relation to major events or critical installations, such as airports,” said Thomas Müller, CEO of Airbus DS Electronics.
No price has been announced for the system at this time, but it will probably be cheap enough even for the average buyer who doesn't want to be filmed by drones in their yard.
