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The news from Gen David Perkins that a $3 million Patriot missile has been launched
to shoot down a small commercial drone, highlights the need for regulatory action to
be prioritised as a matter of global urgency. If drones fall in to the wrong hands,
there’s currently nothing to stop someone flying a payload laden drone into
restricted airspace, without action such as this taking place. Clearly, using
expensive military missiles is not the answer due to the fact a missile worth $3
million being used to eliminate a $200 drone is overkill and potentially
ineffective.

Rather than using expensive military resources to deal with potentially rouge
drones, implementing regulation and the standardisation of radio frequencies, on
which drones operate, is vital to combat such threats. Ultimately, this makes it
easier for security teams to use jamming devices to stop a suspect drone from
entering the space. Ensuring there are strict regulations in place means that the
use of drones can be better controlled. Alongside putting regulations in place
should be security measures. As with any connected technology, drones are at risk of
being hacked by cybercriminals, meaning software programming needs to be considered
more seriously in the development phase.

Despite the obvious benefits of drones, they must be embraced and feared in equal
measures. They might look pretty innocent, but on closer inspection, what you find
can be terrifying. Putting it bluntly, these devices are in fact a flying payload
system with the ability to deliver anything (including incendiary devices or
grenades) in to uncontrolled airspace in the way that only Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAV’s) have been able to do in the past.