The West is starting to wake up to the drone threat - and just how unprepared it is, DroneShield CEO says

"The West needs to see the bigger picture when it comes to the drone threat, a counter-drone tech company is warning. The number of potential targets is skyrocketing, going well beyond war. Matt McCrann, CEO of DroneShield's US arm, told Business Insider that in the US alone, "there's a lot of area to cover," from critical infrastructure and large gatherings to speaking events and landmarks."

"The use of drones in Russia's invasion of Ukraine - including massive bombardments that have struck civilian infrastructure as well as military sites - has alarmed the West, showing how future wars may be fought. And concerns are only growing, even outside active conflict, with more Russian and unidentified drones crossing into European airspace, flying near military bases, and disrupting civilian areas like airports. In the US, there have been hundreds of drone incursions over military sites."

"DroneShield, an Australian company with US operations, makes counter-drone tech that detects, tracks, and disrupts drones by jamming their radio links, and it's noticing a growing demand. It has multimillion-dollar US military contracts and a range of systems operating in Ukraine. McCrann said that week after week, there's rising "alertness about drones and the threats that they pose" to airports, critical infrastructure, energy and data centers, and sporting events."

Drone threats have expanded from battlefields to civilian targets including airports, critical infrastructure, energy and data centers, large gatherings, landmarks, and sporting events. Russia's use of drones in Ukraine demonstrated how drones can strike both military and civilian infrastructure and signaled changes in future warfare. European airspace has seen increased Russian and unidentified drone activity near military bases and airports, while the US has experienced hundreds of incursions over military sites. Counter-drone companies report growing demand for detection, tracking, and jamming systems and warn that current defenses are often inadequate and need broader deployment and planning.

Read at Business Insider