By Paul Hicks, Head of Wireless at Telent Technology Service Ltd
The utilisation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has become increasingly more prevalent over the last few years, but unauthorised drone usage has captured the headlines in the United Kingdom and abroad. Most notably, the Gatwick drone incidents in December 2018 which reportedly cost the airport and airlines more than 50 million pounds in damages, delayed the travel arrangements of thousands of passengers around the festive period and undermined the public’s trust in airports across the country.
However, drone usage can also have a host of benefits. More and more businesses are deploying drones within their legitimate capacity and when utilised correctly, can significantly enhance a business’ fortunes. That is why drones are increasingly being tried and tested across an array of industry sectors including, ports, agriculture, defence, mining, construction and the emergency services.
Increased usage vs increased challenges
If they fall into the wrong hands, UAVs can cause a nuisance for organisations and can disrupt their day-to-day operations. Furthermore, drones are also being used to spy on behalf of rival competitors and this has even escalated into more severe circumstances in some cases, where drones have been used as a dangerous weapon with the intention to potentially cause serious harm. This problem is hard to tackle, as a single drone or swarm of drones can be difficult to neutralise and track and pinpointing the drone operator can be extremely challenging.
With the demand for drones showing no signs of letting up anytime soon, organisations and businesses must begin combatting unauthorised drone usage effectively now, rather than later. This will prevent organisations from facing the significant repercussions of an unexpected drone attack, one which could cause delays to their operations or even cease trading.