2 Likes
If they were DJI, the Americans might still have regarded them as hostileā¦
Assuming āhostileā is USAFspeak for Russian, one assumes that the drones were either launched from Russia, in which case the range is impressive and they should have been detected, or from a Russian ship or submarine fairtly close inshore, or locally by someone acting on behalf of the Russians. The last option seems the least unlikely, while being still pretty unlikely!
1 Like
Anyone ?
1 Like
Not me! I donāt want no guys in suits and dark glasses knocking on my door!
1 Like
You need to put down all those Tom Clancy books. 
3 Likes
No way they could maintain VLOS from the coast to Lakenheath. Iām sure they would want to comply with the drone code. 
PS for the avoidance of any doubt, it also wasnāt me!
Iāve got a Neo - so Iād be lucky to get out of the carpark before the battery gave up.
But seriously on seeing that news I thought āauditorā looking for the ultimate āinteractionā.
And if thatās even close to being true it wonāt be good news for the hobby.
1 Like
I canāt stand them but to be fair, the well known ones do respect the FRZās. How true these alleged incidents are, who knows. 
Wasnāt me. I was somewhere else. Ask the Met
1 Like
Not guilty. Iāve been gloss painting - I hate gloss painting 
3 Likes
The last option is actually the most likely, if people are willing to commit arson for the FSB, flying a drone around isnāt far fetched.
An extract from a UASF statement :
This could be a non story reallyā¦ No conclusive proof and all that.
Typical Yanks - Panic first then think, or donāt think - just continue to panicš¤!
1 Like
Tom who?
I was postulating possible scenarios, not probable ones. Iāll add one that might make it into the probable category; there were no drones, itās that time of year, they were birds heading home to roost that were misidentified as drones. Remember Gatwick?
We donāt know the details of how the whatevertheyweres were detected and reported, but there are heightened tensions with Russia now just and Iām suggesting that lookouts and radar operators were playing safe. Iām assuming that drones can be detected electronically by military airbases, not to mention GCHQ and Langley, and that drones used for hostile covert missions by what we used to call āa certain powerā back in the Cold War days have counter-measures to deal with this. Americans tend to panic and rationalise later as has been said, understandable from people who have been left-fielded twice in the last 82 years, at Pearl Harbour and on 9/11.
Unless of course the Russians have recruited and trained starlings fitted with video camerasā¦
But the upshot is, IMHO, there were probably no drones, and I wasnāt flying them, you werenāt there*, you didnāt see nuttinā, and you canāt prove a thing, so eat my shorts!
*Neither was Iā¦
Ehhh!
I think you need to lay down and dream about seagulls. 
NOOOOOOO!!!
Iām trying to stop dreaming about seagullsā¦ mind, one of the airbases is on the coastā¦
And again they claiming
Your weekly reminder that Gatwick is still being brought up as a fact dispite how little evidence there actually was.
āThe House will remember that Gatwick Airport was completely closed a few years ago by unidentified drones.ā
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/criminal-probe-into-drone-incursions-4886514
3 Likes
Hmm. I still think the East Anglian drone swarms are starlingsā¦
But it begs the question, what are the military going to do about it? NOTAMs and FRZs will not stop determined scofflaw drone activity, be it by hobbyists wanting a close-up shot or something more sinister; those people will simply take no notice of the laws or regulations. Up to 14 years in prison? nobody cares, mate, youāve got to catch us first and good luck proving who was flying the drone at the time in court with a half-decent barrister.
Letās say youāre an airbase or an aircraft carrier (or any sort of military asset come to that) and there is a drone in your vicinity that looks as if itās taking an undue interest in you. What are your options? Jamming, but that could affect local emergency service signals? Sent up fighter jets to monitor it? Expensive. Shoot it down? Youāve presumably got the capability to hand to do that and would be within your rights, but what if it killed someone when it came down, possibly in flames, or caused a road accident, or brought down railway power lines and closed Hamburg station?
Clearly, the idea that the droneās identity and that of the owner can be traced in real time doesnāt seem to have made much difference in Hamburg, and youād need to be pretty quick to catch the pilot on the ground, Nor can it be assumed that the pilot is the guy registered to that drone ID; if suspicious activity is taking place you can bet heās in the pub on CCTV with a whole barload of alibis.
The only people ever likely to be caught doing this are hobbyists, and sentencing will probably not be at deterrent levels if they express contrition and promise not to do it again. Itās not a nice thing to admit, but we are not all angels, or as knowledgeable of the rules as we should be. The real bad guys will have fucked off outta Dodge long before anyone gets to ground zero, even if they have to abandon the drone.
Seems a bit ironic that the drone in the Hamburg incident is thought to be flown by the Chinese or their agents, and if they are brought to book it will be because Chinese-made drones record flight data and transmit it, the reason that DJI might be banned in the US. Drones that transmit stuff are A Good Thing from a security pov, and should be encouraged!!!
But itās worrying, not just from a National Security pov. We still have a public image problem though my impression is that it is improving; Gatwick was nearly 7 years ago now, but the more adverse media coverage of drones there is the more our general image will suffer. Drones, oh yes, those things killing people in Ukraine or spying on our bases and ships, drone=bad, drones are bad, mākay,
I would be happier if the general public reaction to my drone is āoo, look, a droneā (which is pretty much what it is to be fair) as opposed to ālook, a drone, whatās it up to, whyās it there, whatās going onā. Iām a bit self-concious when Iām setting up to fly, not so much when Iām flying and more absored in what Iām doing, and my confidence is growing, but itās a stress I could do without!
Bloody seagulls.
Bloody starlings.
1 Like