A defence company has developed a futuristic "rifle" that can stop rogue drones by hijacking their controls and forcing them to land or fly back to their pilots.
The so-called DroneGun Tactical is able to deactivate flying drones from more than 2km away by disrupting multiple radio frequency bands simultaneously.
This immediately ceases video transmission back to the drone operator and allows for a vertical controlled landing, with no damage to the drone or the surrounding environment.
"The system is completely passive, it emits no frequency and can be safely used in airports despite the use of 'jammers'," said Oleg Vornik, chief executive of DroneShield, the company behind the DroneGun.
DroneShield has also developed software that can monitor a designated zone and pinpoint drones while revealing where they are flown from.
"It works a bit like Google Maps, showing us a picture of an area and an accurate identification of the drone pilot's location," said Mr Vornik.
"The system can detect when a pilot communicates with a drone by accessing the 'uplinks' and corresponding 'downlinks'.
"The location of the pilot can be found and they can be arrested, it would save a lot of money.
"It can also watch the drone's video feed using radio frequency detection sensors – there is nothing on the market like this."
DroneShield created the products in response to the booming popularity and availability of drones among the public.
The company has previously worked with the British Army and provided assistance to the 2018 Korean Winter Olympics.
Mr Vornik remained tight-lipped on the exact cost of the system, but confirmed it ranges from five to seven figures.
"We are active in UK, but I can't share additional details due to confidentiality," he said.
The technology could be used in situations like the Gatwick drone attack last December , which caused the airport to shut down all air traffic for a period of approximately 48 hours.
The shutdown stranded well over 100,000 passengers during one of the busiest times of the year for travel, and caused tens if not hundreds of millions of pounds of damage to a range of companies.
DroneShield's system has been hailed as the "first of its kind" for its ability to return a drone safely to its point of origin.
However, defence expert Will Geddes, of International Corporate Protection, warned that it could create a "false sense of security".
"We would not want people to get a false sense of security – there is a range of drone threats – the big question is the response time after the pilot is identified," he said.
"Those using rogue drones range from stupid clowns, to organised criminals and then terrorists at the sharp end.
"Some drones are actively designed to stop users flying into specific areas but these can be re-engineered.
"However there are some racing drones used that are incredibly quick.
"This is the first I've heard of this system, if a vector could be established this is pretty phenomenal, especially if the pilot was unaware."
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