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Do police copters have the ability to jam drones?

Earlier today I was flying my Mavic Mini 2 near unauthorized area and then a black helicopter started to fly directly towards my drone and then right above as my drone loses signal when the copter was nearing. Like my signal was good and it shouldn't have lost signal from this distance but as this black copter flew right above I lost complete signal for at least 10 seconds and a warning message popped out about an unauthorized zone. Another time I flew my drone above the height limit and then a similar black copter flew directly above my house. Like literally right above. And another time I saw a sheriff copter circling my drone and I was hoping it was a coincidence but it definitely seemed to want to get my drone out the air.

So is it safe to assume the airports are tracking my drone flights?

2 Answers

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  • 4 months ago

    After numerous and very expensive airport shutdowns caused by irresponsible drone owners, climate protesters and even terrorists, and following a number of near-misses and even impacts with passenger-carrying aircraft of all types (at least one fatality when a drone impacted the wing rigging wires on a microlight); yes, anti-drone measures have been developed.

    There are passive measures such as geofencing which major drone manufacturers now incorporate as standard to keep drones out of protected airspaces, and there are active measures the exact details of which are not all public knowledge but simple jamming would be one obvious measure.

    The radar signatures unique to drones are also now much more easily recognised by human radar operators and by AI connected to them originally intended to identify large individual birds.

    You admit that in the past you knowingly broke the height ceiling. On this occasion you knowingly flew close to restricted airspace: maybe you broke the height limit again as that’s typically even lower close to restricted airspace boundaries.

    There’s no need to worry about anti-drone measures as they’re still evolving fast. All YOU need to do is to fly your drone where it is clearly safe and legal to do so. 

    Many anti-drone measure include destructive means but they’re only deployed where there’s no danger of the drone causing injury or property damage where it crashes.

    It’s irresponsible drone owners who are causing all the new and restrictive rules against drone-users and anyone else who does radio-controlled flying of other models. In some places worldwide authorities have simply banned ALL forms of radio-control flying for anyone without a government permit.

  • 4 months ago

    Suggest you find a better place to fly your toy.

    Those that need to know about jamming frequencies already know how it is done.

    YOU do not NEED to know the defensive strategies.

    Color of copter does not matter and it might not be the police.

    So is it safe to assume the airports are tracking my drone flights?

    Radar was developed secretly for military use by several nations in the period before and during World War II.

    How do you think the Airport keeps track of planes and copters that are supposed to be in the air.

    Radar is not a secret and is the same technology in your microwave oven.

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