Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2016 | Page 80

Global Security and Intelligence Studies
may carry costly fines, so citizens and members of law enforcement are unlikely to do
so (Ripley 2015, 70). Law enforcement and defense agencies in other countries have
experimented with other kinetic defense mechanisms to mitigate collateral damage
and increase likelihood of interdiction. Such mechanisms include a net gun, similar to
a net shot to catch feral animals, and net-equipped drones that can fly over a nefarious
drone and snag it in a net, but these methods are not very reliable (Ripley 2015, 67;
Sathyamoorthy 2015, 93). New kinetic defense methods will likely evolve as consumer
drones become more versatile over time.
Recommendations
Federal Restriction of 5-pound Payload Capacity for Consumer and Commercial
Drones
Due to the relatively recent dawn of consumer drones, regulatory measures and
policies in the United States remain underdeveloped and behind the curve.
Currently, the FAA requires users to register drones weighing more than
0.55 lbs, which includes the drone models in Table 1 and most drones with payload
capacities (“Frequently Asked Questions” 2015). Empirical evidence and qualitative
data reflects that payload is the most significant factor influencing drone suitability
for terrorist attacks involving explosive-laden drones, yet existing laws do not regulate
payload capacities. The FAA delegates the majority of drone regulation to state and
local authorities, but the FAA and Congress should establish guidelines and restrictions
limiting payloads for future models, enforceable in all states. Senator Booker (D-NJ)
introduced the Commercial UAS Modernization Act (S. 1314) in the Senate on May
13, 2015, which would establish “barriers to allowing payload carriage” on drones, but
the bill has yet to move beyond the Senate (“S.1314—Commercial UAS Modernization
Act” 2016, 24). Such proposed legislation works in stark contrast of developments in
drone delivery systems. Amazon’s Prime Air program, for instance, involves a drone
capable of transporting a 5-pound payload (Weatherby 2016). Policies governing
drone utilization lag behind Amazon’s progress in drone research and development.
For now, circumstances of utility drive drone design and payload in industry and
commercial sectors to remain below a 5-pound weight capacity, as most of Amazon’s
products weigh less than 5 pounds, but this weight capacity may increase in the future
(Weatherby 2016). The FAA and Congress should establish a maximum payload at or
near five pounds to mitigate effects in the instance of a terrorist attack employing such
drones, restricting the use of drones capable of transporting heavier payloads to the
military and specialized industries. Hackers have already demonstrated that delivery
drone prototypes are vulnerable to hijacking through sophisticated means (Wagstaff
2013). Although most lone wolves lack the knowledge to hijack one of these drones,
the capability exists and the payoff of employing a drone with five pounds of explosives
instead of two pounds yields significantly more damage.
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