At the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, this winter, drone vs. drone security will be combined with man-to-man marking. The defense of venues will be assisted by unmanned aerial vehicles that fire nets to take out little “rogue” drones. Following a contract with Qatar’s interior ministry, Fortem Technologies will offer interceptor drones. According to the article, the agreement underscores rising concerns about the danger that drone assaults could pose generally. Fortem claims that this method reduces the chance of injury that can result from using guns to bring down drones in populated areas.
Small consumer drones are taken down by the automated, radar-guided interceptor drones, known by the company as DroneHunters, by firing nets to capture the target drone, which may then be transported to another site. For larger drones, a net that is attached to a parachute is released at the target, slowing it down and causing it to crash to the earth. According to Timothy Bean, chief executive and co-founder of Fortem, targets are located using “several extremely small radars that are spread throughout the venue, creating a comprehensive view of the airspace straight up into the air.” According to the business, there have been “live kills” at numerous security locations throughout the world.
The drones’ buzz, however, won’t match the loudness of the crowd because they operate “a mile or so distant from the stadium,” Mr. Bean added. The drones’ control signals can be interfered with by other methods to halt them, but Fortem claims terrorists may launch drones on pre-planned flight patterns. “The reason our business is skyrocketing is that terrorists don’t use joysticks. Terrorists don’t show up in your parking lot with a joystick. These drones are programmed … so they can’t be jammed,” Mr. Bean said. According to the business, anti-drone technologies have been installed at various athletic events and during the Davos World Economic Forum gathering. It said it was also working on anti-drone measures for UK airports and donated portable versions of its equipment to Ukraine.
The Utah-based company will support the Qatari Ministry of Interior and Safety and Security Operations Committee during the World Cup in November and December. Toshiba and Boeing have supported the Utah-based company.
