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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: LogOn Drone-Countering Tech (TV/R)
HEADLINE: LogOn Counter-Drone Technology Prevents Malicious Drones From Doing Harm
TEASER: Airports, prisons and electricity grids are turning to technology to keep drones out of their space
PUBLISHED: 11/15/2022 at 8:15am
BYLINE: Julie Taboh
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Sterling, Virginia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Adam Greenbaum
PRODUCER: Julie Taboh, Adam Greenbaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original, Dedrone, Reuters, AFB
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 1:54 & 2:00
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR [notes]: There is a longer (feature) version of this story as well.))
((INTRO))
[[As military and civilian drones become increasingly popular, there are growing concerns about the threats some of them may pose over places like airports, prisons and electrical grids. VOA’s Julie Taboh reports on a company that has developed counter-drone technology that can identify and mitigate threats from malicious drones.]]
((NATS – Angela Merkel at campaign event))
((NARRATOR))
In 2013, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel was at an outdoor event when a drone that had been hovering overhead abruptly landed near her, briefly disrupting the event.
((Radio track: Mary-Lou Smulders (pronounced like Smolders) is the chief marketing officer of Dedrone))
((Mary-Lou Smulders, Dedrone Chief Marketing Officer))
“Nothing happened. It was an attention-getting drone.”
((NARRATOR))
But the incident raised security concerns about the presence of drones in potentially vulnerable areas just as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles was taking off.
((NATS – Drone taking off))
((COURTESY: Dedrone))
The case inspired the creation of Dedrone, now a leading counter-drone technology company that has hundreds of customers in more than 35 countries.
((Mary-Lou Smulders, Dedrone Chief Marketing Officer))
“We detect the drone primarily through radio frequency signals that are recognized by our sensors.”
((NARRATOR))
Dedrone’s customers install drone-tracking software that will alert security personnel when a suspicious drone is in their airspace.
If a drone is deemed malicious,
((COURTESY: Dedrone))
the Dedrone tracker can help security personnel locate the drone operator and speak with them directly.
((COURTESY: Dedrone))
In extreme situations such as war, customers can disable the drone directly with a jammer gun.
((Radio track: John Knag (ke-NAUGH) is vice president of defense technology at Dedrone))
((John Knag, Dedrone Vice President of Defense Technology))
“It’s called DroneDefender, and it is a radio transmitter, and when we have found our drone in the airspace, we point it at it, select the mode, pull the trigger, and now we can disrupt the signal between the drone and the controller.”
((NATS – Drone in the air))
((NARRATOR))
The counter-drone technology industry has grown alongside the commercial drone industry, experts say.
((Radio track: Miriam McNabb is an editor at the media site Dronelife.com. She spoke with VOA via Skype))
((Miriam McNabb, Dronelife)) ((Skype))
“We need the counter-drone technology protecting sensitive sites in order for the commercial drone industry to proliferate.”
((NATS – Drone flying))
((NARRATOR))
As drone use continues to grow, so, too, will efforts to protect spaces that are vulnerable to the few bad actors in their midst.
((NATS – Drone flying))
((Julie Taboh, VOA News, Sterling, Virginia))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Sterling, Virginia
BylineJulie Taboh
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
