"Drone swarms disrupt FBI hostage rescue" Topic

Does anyone know of a game system that has a good handle on Drones in combat or in other situations? This example shows how even an off-the-shelf toy drone can be used:

A Criminal Gang Used a Drone Swarm To Obstruct an FBI Hostage Raid

…Last winter, on the outskirts of a large U.S. city, an FBI hostage rescue team set up an elevated observation post to assess an unfolding situation. Soon they heard the buzz of small drones — and then the tiny aircraft were all around them, swooping past in a series of "high-speed low passes at the agents in the observation post to flush them…

…Mazel said the suspects had backpacked the drones to the area in anticipation of the FBI's arrival. Not only did they buzz the hostage rescue team, they also kept a continuous eye on the agents, feeding video to the group's other members via YouTube.

link

Does anyone know of a game system that has a good handle on Drones in combat or in other situations? This example shows how even an off-the-shelf toy drone can be used:

A Criminal Gang Used a Drone Swarm To Obstruct an FBI Hostage Raid

…Last winter, on the outskirts of a large U.S. city, an FBI hostage rescue team set up an elevated observation post to assess an unfolding situation. Soon they heard the buzz of small drones — and then the tiny aircraft were all around them, swooping past in a series of "high-speed low passes at the agents in the observation post to flush them…

…Mazel said the suspects had backpacked the drones to the area in anticipation of the FBI's arrival. Not only did they buzz the hostage rescue team, they also kept a continuous eye on the agents, feeding video to the group's other members via YouTube.

link

Situational Awareness is the big thing. Maybe cancelling surprise attacks or something. Night vision to cancel night effects.

Most weaponized drones I have heard about have a pistol or an explosive. So treat as a grenade or as someone with a pistol with a slight penalty to their aiming.

Good ideas, haywire.

Counter-drone tactics depend on the rules of engagement.

Radio jamming is probably the first recourse when drones are detected, but if they have been programmed to fly a set course, that won't stop them.

Shotguns of course come to mind because they are what we use to take down birds on the wing, and drones are bird-sized things in the sky. Shotgun pellets are small enough not to cause much harm when they fall, so they are probably OK in populated places, where heavier ammunition, like bullets from even a small submachine gun, probably will not be.

I would rule that any hit on a drone by a firearm makes it fall. Do we have any research on drone survivability?

Anti-missile weapons like the Phalanx system are probably not going to be allowed in populated areas. High explosive air bursts would probably be effective against a drone swarm, but you can't do it in a populated area, nor near your own position (and forget about it in a hostage situation).

Here are a couple of ideas for countermeasures against drones, specifically a net launcher (including one mounted on a drone) and training birds to attack drones.

YouTube link

Like any new "weapon" system … new techniques and procedures will have to come about. E.g. ECM vs. ECCM vs. etc. etc.

Drones are rapidly becoming "SOP" … in more and more situations, etc.

" Do we have any research on drone survivability?"

I know that if I tried to fly one, it wouldn't… ;-)

FBI needs to hire this guy
YouTube link

That spear takedown is straight up awesome.

The comments show a runestone carved to commemorate the event… wow.

A microwave magnetron will pump out enough EM to toast the 2.4GHz control circuits, and will induce currents in the rest of the tech.

Sadly, it ends up being about the size of a Blowpipe SAM lanucher.

Have to love the two amendments in the FAA reauthorization being touted at the end of the article – making it illegal to 'weaponize' consumer drones and requiring an ID broadcast for drones that fly out of the operators line of sight.

I am sure every criminal using drones in illegal operations is going to immediately comply with the laws…

Well, it means that all the new drones will have that function installed at the factory.

I'd hope that the other drone makers would do a recall-and-reinstall on most of the older drones.

But there will always be some that don't have it. Friend of mine lost a drone back before they had a return-to-launch-point feature built in.

But yes, you're right that anyone planning on operating a drone for criminal purposes is going to either chase down old drones that don't have the upgrade or remove that ID broadcasting system from drones that do. But if caught, that's another 10 years in prison and $10,000 USD per violation to hit the criminal with. You do *not* mess around with Federal Aviation Regulations!

What Lion in the Stars said about ECM. There have been some in the press that look like a 40K 'rifle', actually pretty compact if that includes the power supply, but still do able even with a back pack full of batteries.

What Law Enforcement is going to have to worry about is 'people' making their own anti-drone devices to stop Police drones. Some old microwave parts, hobby directional antennas, CB radio signal boosters, that sort of stuff. Should be up on YouTube in a few weeks :-)

@Lion in the Stars:

It will be too funny when a criminal is able to escape the main charge, perhaps because of prosecutorial or police errors, but still gets 10 or 20 years per drone on the FAA violations.

There are already people making videos of various anti-drone devices. Several months ago I watched one that launched a net-type entrapment.

The homebuilt "drone-smoker" (because it makes the drone let out all the magic white smoke ) I was talking about needs a 120V power supply to the magnetron, the magnetron out of an old microwave (if your microwave stops working, chances are it's one of the multiple safety switches that has gone bad and the magnetron still works fine), a 2.4GHz waveguide, and a home-made antenna horn.

Then you grab some 4" and 10" PCV pipe to support and protect the waveguide and antenna.

No, I haven't built mine yet. Need a junk microwave first.