Protecting critical infrastructure from drones: managing the risks

Market analysts suggest that by 2021 there could be 67.9 million annual shipments of unmanned aerial vehicles – frequently referred to by commercial and leisure users as ‘drones’ – to consumers across the globe[i>. Drones’ popularity, like the vehicles themselves, is soaring, with leisure, racing and photography drones available for prices that range from tens to thousands of pounds. An increasing variety of applications, from aerial mapping to emergency response investigations and security monitoring, is making drones a useful tool. But this growth does not come without risk.

The aerospace sector is particularly concerned. In just two years, reported ‘near misses’ involving drones and aircraft have increased, with 69 reported incidents in 2016 – more than double the 29 in 2015, and more than eleven times the six reported in 2014.[ii> But while potential collisions with aircraft have been a key focus, the upsurge in drone use increases risk across a much wider range of industries. Areas which could see an increase in risk include the transport, power and energy sectors, with the potential for extensive and costly disruption if a drone crashes into signalling equipment, power lines or distribution networks.