Part 2: Drone Attacks & Incidents – 2022 in Review

March 1, 2023 | Meryl Dzikansky

My previous blog examined the current state of the rogue drone threat in the context of notable incidents perpetrated by criminals across various environments with malicious intent. Now let’s take a closer look at the drone threat relating to civilians flying drones in restricted areas either as a result of being unaware of or intentionally disregarding the restrictions.

 

Civilians Unaware of or Disregarding Restrictions & Regulations

While signs, advertisements, and mobile applications help drone pilots determine whether a particular location is restricted, some choose not to follow them. Here are a few examples of these infractions:

At Airports

Drone incidents at airports are trending. Reported incidents spanned four continents with a preponderance in North America and the UK. The open space surrounding runways apparently  entices rogue drone operators. In many countries (like the UK), drone operators are warned about flying near airports. In the USA, anyone flying a drone is responsible for flying within FAA guidelines and regulations. That means it is up to the drone pilot to know the “Rules of the Sky,” and where it is and where it is not safe to fly.

The summer was busy with rogue drone activities at airports. Some of the riskier and more notable incidents were:

In the UK –

In the US –

Many more drone incidents were tracked at airports worldwide during 2022. Norway’s airport owner Avinor reported 50 drone incursions per month at Oslo airport alone, resulting in delays, costs, and traffic rerouting for passengers, airlines, and the airport.

At Stadiums, Arenas & Crowds

In my blog, Protecting the Playing Field (& The Players, Staff, And Fans) From Drone Threats, I focused on the drone incident situations and latest developments at stadiums and arenas in the US. In 2022, tracked/reported rogue drone incidents saw a 64% increase over 2021. These incidents posed a global safety threat, caused delays to games, or even caused events to be canceled.

The following are some of the notable incidents that happened in the second half of 2022:

In the US –

In the UK –

In Brazil –

In Australia –

First Responders

In the second half of the year, tracked drone incidents in such scenarios included instances of attacks, harassment and nuisance (including hampering first responder efforts), and invasion of privacy and collision or near collision.

Community & Neighborhood

As a last point, multiple incidents occurred in the second half of 2022 in which rogue drones posed threats “closer to home”, with collisions or near collisions or by invading privacy.

Notable events were reported at:

Educational Institutions –

At Residences

In Neighborhoods

  • In September, thousands of people were left without power for up to 3 hours after a food delivery drone crashed into powerlines in Logan, Queensland, Australia.

Stay tuned for the next update, and keep current on drone attacks and incidents reported from public domain sources and information providers such as DroneSec, in D-Fend Solutions Drone Attack & Incident Tracker.

Meryl Dzikansky is a marketing communications specialist at D-Fend Solutions with a strong analytical and communication background. While closely monitoring drone incidents throughout the world, she focuses on creative thinking, branding, and effective content.

Subscribe to email updates

Sign up here to receive the latest news, upcoming events, webinars and industry best practice resources

Most popular publications

Our Bloggers

VIEW ALL >