Why isn’t there a net of radio sensors around the perimeter that can triangulate a source?

I’m sure Qinetic were developing something.

Are there no counter measures available?

I’m guessing an emp would affect planes also. The desire to place air to air missiles around Gatwick would probably make a few people nervous.

Not an easy resolution i’m guessing and I suspect this is the work of a few idiots who thought they’d have a bit of a laugh.

Shotgun Shirley?

Just heard Gatwick boss on the radio, the drone is still over the airfield!since 9 last night!
Bizarre.

With FPV drone I guess it’s easy to hide. You could just be at a window of a house or in a private garden within a couple of km of airport.
Meanwhile two poor police officers are driving round trying to spot the pilot.
Odd is been so long, almost like is deliberate.

Maybe your drone owner was using the firework show as a test…

Aye, but he would have stuffed it in a tree already…

I believe it’s 2 large commercial drones. It’s going to be chaos all day I’m afraid, even when the runway reopens. Once aircraft and crews get out of position/off schedule it takes days to recover.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable for the culprits to pay for all the costs of closing the airport.
Might stop future idiots.

countermeasures?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6tT1GapCe4

It’ll be someone who doesn’t want their in-laws coming for Christmas

How were these drones spotted, given it was dark? Were they spotted taking off, or in the air? Not saying it wasn’t drones, but what exactly was seen and by who?

The must have made multiple flights, a single set of batteries wouldn’t last anything like long enough for all this.

COmmercial drones supported with multiple battery packs, for nearly 12 hours? Thats smacks of deliberation. I’ll be environmentalists or terrorists I’m guessing as opposed to kids.

How were these drones spotted, given it was dark?

They have really strong lights, to help pilots guide them if FPV goes down.

It sounds like sightings are from pilots and or airport staff.

Just heard Gatwick boss on the radio, the drone is still over the airfield!since 9 last night!
Bizarre.

Not quite. He said drones have been spotted since 9am last night, not that has been constantly there.

It’ll be self perpetuating now of course – one random passenger ‘thinks’ they see something will be enough to close it down again.

If the commercial drone reports above are true that changes everything – I had assumed it was a couple of looser kids bored at the beginnings of the xmas holidays.

Looks like no early go for me later. I’ll be playing catch all day. I’ll find out who reported them this afternoon.

Don’t forget Gatwick recently announced that it would start using it’s emergency runway for scheduled take offs and landings. Not a popular move with some people in the area.

Are there no counter measures available?

The company my wife works for are developing countermeasures for drones..it’s not Qinetiq 😉

haven’t they got trained eagles to take them down? or have they left because Brexit?

Not saying it wasn’t drones, but what exactly was seen and by who?

My thoughts, seema all a bit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Los_Angeles

or have they left because Brexit?

STW experts said it was cruel, so they stopped it and the eagles* have retired from active duty.

*the real ones, not the 70s dad rock band

I was wondering if there was a deportation flight scheduled and this was deliberate disruption to stop it taking off….

Pure speculation, but I reckon a bunch of locals wanted a good night’s sleep so came up with a plan to stop flights. Unlike Heathrow, Gatwick doesn’t have the same night time restrictions.

Maybe they just got bored of flying drugs and iphones into prisons and just fancied a change of scene?

it’s not Qinetiq

ah, but not so far away though eh?

Way to give every dick with a drone an idea for causing mayhem.

Surely a helicopter and sniper is the answer now?

Way to give every dick with a drone an idea for causing mayhem.

The prison time might put the rest off.

COmmercial drones supported with multiple battery packs, for nearly 12 hours? Thats smacks of deliberation. I’ll be environmentalists or terrorists I’m guessing as opposed to kids.

Could be Father Christmas whose not had his flight plan agreed, might not be able to drop all those pressies off.

Way to give every dick with a drone an idea for causing mayhem.

Certainly not us with PfCOs who do as they are told with insurance, ops manuals and loss of business at stake.

The Drones have to land. Most battery systems last a matter of minutes. It’s not hard to see where the Drone lands – with another Drone …

CAA are massively under-resourced with this sort of thing.

Surely a helicopter and sniper is the answer now?

Apparently the stray bullets might kill a few collateral snowflakes.

Pwn them with bombers, I say.

ah, but not so far away though eh?

The company is based in Wales..

The Drones have to land. Most battery systems last a matter of minutes. It’s not hard to see where the Drone lands – with another Drone …

you are assuming that its the same drone every time.

you are assuming that its the same drone every time.

Irrelevant.

They could follow any one of the drones.

All them people waiting on flights could be put to good use scouring the surrounding countryside for the idiot and his drone, whoever finds him first gets 2 free punches.

Counter measure?

https://www.maxim.com/news/japan-drone-nets-2015-12

They could follow any one of the drones.

20 drones placed around the perimeter, timed to take off at half hour intervals and fly a pre-programmed route across the runways. A few others timed to take off a couple of hours after the last ones to increase uncertainty.

No one there, no tracing a drone ‘back to base’. Lots of individual drones taking off from different locations – tops of buildings, roofs of containers etc etc – can’t be seen from the ground (and not at all at night).

Do that at every major UK airport in succession and you’ve disrupted all flights for a week.

total cost, a few thousand pounds.

Considering their incredible potential to be used in an offensive capacity, mightn’t they be treated like firearms, and the owners require licensing, and the devices themselves, registration?