Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

If they can find out what frequency the ground station is transmitting on and what the signal looks like on the spectrum display that's their best bet. Pretty much the RF equivalent of a ballistics analysis.

Not sure that any of those off the shelf drone control radio systems are frequency agile like a military comms terminal would be but the transmitters in 2.4GHz and 5GHz type approved systems are very low powered.

The systems which operate on lower frequencies are far more powerful, travel for longer distances and are not as susceptible to interference by obstacles etc. There would be far more likelihood of being able to triangulate this type of signal.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

The ones with huge ranges cost a lot of money over £1,000 and for professional and commercial use, generally the professionally ones are aimed at Licensed operators who can, as long as they have permission to do so from the Civil Aviation Authority, fly above the legal distances for standard recreational users.

The thing to be aware of, recreational drone flying, you're not suppose to fly them over large crowds of people or be in close proximity to buildings. I fly mine in areas that are allowed, like large parks and playing fields.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

Guardian are reporting that drone has been spotted in the last hour.

I've been watching what's going on in the vicinity and at 21:30 one of the Easyjet aircraft on the ground started up on ground power and switched it's transponder on announcing itself to Flightradar24.

Makes you wonder if this is what numb nuts is using as a prelude to kicking off the mischief.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

I’m pretty sure the SAS are on site already, attached to whatever specialist unit has been sent in to deal with these drones.

The fact that this is still ongoing after 24 hours and el gov is confident it is not terror related says to me that they think this is a state actor (i.e. Russia). It’s inconceivable that some pale and pasty social misfit would still be at it right now.

The fact that the BBC isn’t even speculating in these terms suggests to me that they’ve been handed a DA notice.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

They say it's an Industrial model drone - well, I know of a few and the pale faced misfit won't be able to just buy one of these and then begin to jail break it and buy all the kit that goes with it, unless they got a spare ten grand and then some.

It's either one of these https://store.dji.com/shop/industria...=menu_products

Or...

https://store.dji.com/shop/inspire-s...=menu_products

Just look at the cost of these 2 above.

DJI - the leading drone manufacturer around the world, their software blocks pilots from flying in a No Fly Zone - that's an Airport. But they are saying, the pilots have hacked the drones to circumvent the locks that prevent the flying in or near to Airports.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

Decoy?

The Chinook could have brought a couple of the 54SU ‘plain clothes’ vans which could be cruising the area...

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

I was just thinking the same. Try to flush it out.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

Probably. It's just started up again on ground power.

Announcing itself as the Alicante flight: EZY24QY

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

To do what lol ? - This drone can travel very fast and if they have hacked it, they have probably changed the speed parameters on it as well and it can travel at any height too. No Marksman is going to shoot something down that's hundreds of feet above a commercial zone.

My hunch is that the pilots are in a vehicle, miles away from the Airport and moving around thwarting all efforts to get a true position because signal keeps changing and moving and the drone is navigating on Pre-set Way points.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

I think they will have a Military, probably RAF, Electronics Intelligence intercept unit nearby, to track the signal sources.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

If they can anticipate when the drone will appear by prompting it to do a flyover this might give them new information. It might not, but they are probably better inviting it than reacting.

Obviously identifying it taking off or landing would be a huge (though unlikely) win. I don’t know what military resources could help in this area.

They have said they are considering options to shoot it down although I agree with you it’s unlikely.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

Looks like there's a positioning flight rolling out for take-off. Be interesting to see what that brings.

A positioning flight is a non-passenger route where a crew move aircraft between locations.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

Is it a positioning flight, or does it just look like one?

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

It just looks like one as it appears to be taxying back to the stand ;)

It could of course be a rejected take-off though. Hard to say as it's just a moving icon on a screen.

Re: Drones ground flights at Gatwick
 

News reports "With most drones the batteries will last for only 20 minutes", suggests more than one operator and most modern drones just won't fly near an airport, the GPS won't allow it. Weird.