Round-up of Drone Incidents and Attacks in the First Half of 2022

Military forces, airports, borders, and prisons all saw notable dangerous drone incidents

While 2022 has seen drones continue to become integrated into society with increasing adoption of various applications, the first half of 2022 has also seen an increased number of nefarious and careless incidents, highlighting the double-edged sword of drones in society today.

Since 2021, I have been tracking drone incidents and attacks from many public domain sources and information providers such as DroneSec and others, watching and monitoring both malicious and careless operators as they pose a constant threat. In the first half of 2022, weaponized drone attacks, as well as their illicit or reckless use, have been on the rise. Most rogue drone activities took place in sensitive environments, including military, airports, border crossings, and prisons. It is important to highlight that there are many incidents worldwide that are not made public for security reasons or simply don’t make the news.

Let’s look at some of the most noteworthy incidents covered in the public domain across different sectors around the world in the past six months:

Military Drone Arsenal

As the fight between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, drones are transforming the rules of war. As Forbes explains:

“Consumer drones, in particular those made by Chinese company DJI, have proven invaluable in this conflict for intelligence gathering, directing artillery, and helping [Ukrainian] foot soldiers stalk and destroy Russian armor, not to mention dropping grenades on unsuspecting Russian troops.”

The use and adaptation of drones for military purposes have escalated to the extent that DJI issued a statement in response.

Here are just a few examples of occurrences and resulting damage:

• A large fire erupted when a Ukrainian kamikaze drone crashed into an oil refinery in Rostov, Russia.
• Mavic 3 drones were used to bomb the Ukrainian front line with makeshift grenade carriers under the drones in paper coffee cups.
• Using a modified DJI Inspire drone, Ukraine’s army dropped Molotov cocktails (beer bottles turned into weapons) on Russian Forces.

And in other countries –

• DJI drone belonging to Hezbollah was downed by Israeli forces after entering Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
• People’s Defence Force used a modified DJI Phantom 3 drone equipped with an air dropper system to shoot mortar rounds at positions held by the military junta in Myanmar.

Unsafe Airspace at Airports

Unauthorized drones have also caused disruptions and delays at airports worldwide through near-collisions:

• Flights at East Midlands Airport, UK were diverted after drones were spotted at nearby Donington Park, where a festival was being held. As a result, six passenger jets and two cargo planes were rerouted to different airports and a runway was closed.
• As two planes approached McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport in the U.S., they were forced to reroute to avoid colliding with a drone in their path.
• According to the U.S. FAA, 38 drones violated Charlotte airspace, including rogue drones coming within 200 feet of airliners landing or taking off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
• A passenger plane landing at Germany’s Berlin-Brandenburg Airport had to maneuver to avoid a drone. The drone was flying 1,000 meters above the Tesla Gigafactory and dangerously close to the airport. In response to the incident, the airport prohibited landing for 30 minutes.
• All flight operations at Dublin Airport, Ireland stopped for around 20 minutes due to a drone being flown in the area.

Battling Drones at Border Crossings

The smuggling of drugs and contraband across international borders via drones has been headline-grabbing events on three continents:

• Gun traffickers used a large drone to transport 11 handguns from the U.S. into Canada.
• Indian Security Forces thwarted a narcotic smuggling attempt and seized 44 kg of narcotics that was dropped across the border by a Pakistani drone for sale to fund terrorism.
• Belarusian smugglers drone-dropped 6,000 euros worth of untaxed cigarettes across the Polish border.

Drones Plaguing Prisons

The US and Canada topped the list of countries where drones are used to smuggle contraband into prisons, although other countries like Brazil, the Netherlands, and the UK are dealing with the same issue:

• South Carolina has been particularly hard hit by the problem.
  

  Live 5 News recently interviewed Bryan Stirling, Department of Corrections Director who emphasized that “it’s an issue he won’t just let fly. This is a war… Trying to stop them from bringing this contraband in, it’s a constant battle.”

• In Miami, correctional officers at the Federal Detention Center reported multiple attempts to smuggle contraband into the prison with drones.
• Kingston, Quebec keeps making the news as the Correctional Service of Canada again seized several packages containing contraband and unauthorized items dropped by drones for inmates at the Collins Bay jail.

Dulling the Double-Edged Sword

History shows that bad actors will always try to use technology to their advantage. So, what can be done to mitigate the threat of rogue drones and ensure safer airspace while still enabling the use of authorized ones?

A next-generation approach to cyber drone detection and takeover mitigation can help achieve controlled outcomes with safe results.

Enjoy your drones this summer and fly them safely!