Climate-change protesters are planning “non-violent direct action” at Heathrow beginning June 18th
take some effort to shut down an airport. A quarter of a century ago the Irish Republican Army fired mortar rounds into Heathrow on three separate days over the course of a week. It failed to make much of a dent. Nothing exploded, nobody died and the airport was closed for only a few hours. A plane carrying the queen touched down between two attacks.
No more. Just as modern-day organisers of a coup may be better off seizing a popular Instagram account than the national broadcaster, so too have the barriers to entry collapsed for shutting down the busiest airport in Europe. This summer Extinction Rebellion, a climate-change pressure group, may well achieve what thefailed to do, using nothing more than a drone of the sort available for under £100 on Amazon.
The Centre for the Study of the Drone, at Bard College in New York state, recently counted at least 235 counter-drone systems on the market or under development, which promise to detect, track or intercept the machines. The technology for this ranges from the high-tech, such as radio jamming or electronic hijacking, to the decidedly low-tech, using nets, projectiles or even eagles.
Even unmodified, drones can be made harder to tackle with the application of a little imagination. Modern drones can fly pre-set paths, obviating the need to communicate with an operator. Moreover, if taking out a single drone is hard, taking out a dozen—or a hundred—could be near-impossible. “You only need to have a few more drones than you have counter-measures and the drones have won the battle,” says Mr Michel.
If technological measures do not present an obvious solution to the problem, legal ones might. Experts advocate harsher punishments for drone operators who intrude on sensitive sites such as airports, arguing that a catastrophic accident is a matter of “when, not if”. If the threat of long prison terms and large fines does not deter protesters who believe they are saving the planet, the danger of unwittingly killing a few hundred people might. The risk, like the equipment, is sky-high.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Uber eyes drones for food delivery, unveils new autonomous carUber says it has developed a proprietary airspace management system to will guide the drones to their location and that deliveries won't be made directly to customers, but to a safe drop-off location where an Uber Eats driver will complete the order.
Read more »
Saudi airport hit by cruise missile, Yemen's Houthis claimSaudi Arabia has not officially confirmed the attack, which comes a day after Saudi authorities said they intercepted two drones fired by the Houthis.
Read more »
Some Republican Lawmakers Break With Party on Climate ChangeA small but growing number of Republican lawmakers are urging action on climate change, driven by changing sentiment among GOP voters and the effects of global warming, from stronger hurricanes to more-destructive wildfires.
Read more »
Lawmakers target Trump's plan to change Air Force One's color schemePresident Donald Trump has been personally involved in conversations about changing the color scheme of Air Force One but congressional lawmakers are working to limit his options for a redesign of the iconic aircraft.
Read more »
Trump Official Goes Rogue, Says Climate Change May Cause Next Financial CrisisA top administration official is openly defying Trump-- and Trump can't fire him
Read more »
Germany’s Greens party tops polls, bolstered by fears of climate changeThe Greens party is now the most popular political party in Germany. While the other parties have been inconsistent on the issue of climate change, the Greens party has argued that time is running out and quick action is needed.
Read more »