Recent drone news and a few predictions for the unmanned aircraft industry in 2019.



UAV News



NYC police to use camera drones for security at Times Square NYE party



What’s the best anti-drone technology? Rain, it turns out. The New York Police Department had planned to utilize drones with cameras for the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, but inclement weather prevented their use.



Drones likely to be regulated by state, city governments in 2019



With Gatwick and the Aeromexico 737 incident, safety is on people’s minds. State and local governments are likely to continue to legislate drone rules that address safety and privacy.



Gatwick Cops: Some of Those Drones Could've Been Ours



The Sussex Police department's chief constable says some of drone sightings might have been police surveillance drones. However, 92 of the 115 reported sightings have been confirmed.



Gatwick drones: Army withdrawn from airport



The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the “military capability” has been withdrawn from Gatwick. That capability is believed to include the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system. Also, Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks.



‘Just look at Gatwick': Drone regulations welcomed, but WA Senator calls for 'deeper' focus



A bipartisan Senate inquiry into drone safety regulations reported out in July 2018, but the Australian federal government didn’t respond. Until now.



Severn Bridge shuts after man scales tower to fly a drone



On Dec 31, 2018, the M48 motorway crossing the Severn River between England and Wales was closed for a time until the drone operator came off the tower. He was arrested and is out on bail.



Camera drones to hunt killer sharks in new patrols on Australian beaches



A fleet of drones will monitor 50 beaches along a 1,300-mile coastline for sharks. The drones will use "SharkSpotter" software developed by the University of Technology Sydney. From the Press Release:



In a collaboration with industry partner The Ripper Group, SharkSpotter is a world-first software system that allows for faster reaction times to potential shark threats. Westpac Little Ripper has a suite of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS, drones) created to react quickly and efficiently to situations at sea where lives are at risk. The drones are loaded with the SharkSpotter AI application which can efficiently distinguish and identify sharks in real-time using image processing techniques, state-of-the-art sensors and software.



Video: Little Ripper Lifesaver Drones Spot Sharks Electronically




https://youtu.be/HItdecoGK3A




See SharkAttackData.com for worldwide shark attack data.



Predictions for 2019



David and Max offer a few industry predictions for 2019.



Mentioned



The Lego Sky Police Drone Chase.



Counter UAS Conference 2019



The UAV Digest is pleased to be a media partner for Counter UAS Conference 2019 aimed at the defense industry and to be held April 16-88, 2019 at the Hilton London Kensington, 179-199 Holland Park Ave London W11 4UL, United Kingdom.



Counter UAS 2019 addresses the key questions being asked by joint forces about the nature of the growing UAS threat and the appropriate tactics, techniques, technologies, and procedures to counter it.



The UAS industry has grown considerably in recent years and our ability to counter these new threats is becoming more strained. These rapidly developing systems are becoming harder to identify and track, as well as being capable of carrying larger payloads. Their potential is devastating and the consequences of inaction are growing larger.



The third annual C-UAS Conference provides a platform for military and industry to discuss the current developments in C-UAS capabilities, emerging technologies, and the latest case studies to give a real-world context to the conceptual and theoretical discussions. The proliferation of inexpensive commercial UAS democratises capabilities previously held by militaries and enha...