Police 'Armed With Drone-Killing Bazookas' Following Gatwick Airport Chaos

Christmas was ruined for thousands of people this year when multiple drone sightings brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill.

It's okay though, because airport police have been handed a solution to this tricky modern issue - drone-killing bazookas.

Yes, taking a rather Rambo approach to the problem, Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport are reportedly trying out the anti-drone weapons which fire a projectile with a net to catch rogue drones.

According to The Sunday Times, the technology was introduced amid fears the Gatwick chaos could spark copycat incidents, and the shoulder-launched drone-catchers could be deployed across the country as the government attempts to protect airports from similar attacks.

The SkyWall100 system - developed by UK-based OpenWorks Engineering - is a portable compressed air launcher that fires a large net to capture drones. Once it gets hold of the target, a parachute attached to the net containing the projectiles and the drone safely travel down to the ground for collection.

OpenWorks

Speaking about the cost-effective technology, OpenWorks states: "The best way to neutralise a drone is to physically intercept it.

"This neutralises any type of drone, whether flown manually or autonomously. SkyWall gives you a physical barrier in the sky.

"SkyWall Projectiles can carry a range of countermeasures. The SP40 includes a parachute which controls the descent of a captured drone. This minimises the risk of any collateral damage and keeps the drone intact.

"It allows forensic investigation and enables identification of the operator. If the drone eludes capture, the projectile deploys regardless and controls the safe descent of the tethered components."

The adoption of this technology comes following the Gatwick chaos, which caused 1,000 flights to be delayed or cancelled at Gatwick airport this week after two drones were reported to be seen flying over the airfield.

PA

Yesterday Sussex Police released a statement explaining that two people had been arrested at around 10pm on Friday night as part of their ongoing investigations but the couple were today released without charge.

Topics: Airplane, Technology

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Daisy is a UK-based freelance journalist with too many opinions. She loves everything film and music-related and has a track record writing for Little White Lies, BWRC, and Film Daily. Contact her at [email protected]