Nets and high-tech hijackings: Anti-drone systems offer new ways to counter rising threats
By DAVID KLEPPER
Updated 7:08 AM EDT, May 27, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Drones have harassed airports and bedeviled local police. They have trespassed over nuclear plants and prisons. On the battlefield, they can kill.
But aside from shooting down the devices, which may create further danger, there’s often not much anyone can do to stop drones when they pose a threat or wander where they’re not welcome.
That’s beginning to change. Cheap and easily modified, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a part of daily life as well as a tool for governments and bad actors alike — used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, sabotage, terrorism and more. Concerns about their misuse have spurred a technological scramble for ways to stop the devices in midair.
“An adversary can use an off-the-shelf drone they bought for $500 and find out what’s going on at U.S. nuclear weapons bases,” said Zachary Kallenborn, a London-based national security consultant and expert on drone warfare. “China, Russia, Iran: If they’re not doing it they’re stupid.”
Military drones are already potent weapons of war, used to track enemy movements and deliver attacks. But they have become an increasing threat at home, too. And anti-drone systems now hold significant promise for airports, water treatment plants, military installations and public events targeted by drones in recent years.
https://apnews.com/article/drones-defense-hacking-safety-5189a0f69c8f8e25ef1e41faa53bfecb
