Fri, Dec 02, 2022
Red Fright Out of the Blue
American national security officials have expressed consternation over the increasing number of unauthorized drones flying through restricted areas in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Subject drones—the overwhelming majority of which are of Chinese manufacture—represent risks to the safety of the American people and the integrity of America’s national security.
Notwithstanding the lax tenors of lawmakers and U.S. federal officials disinclined to believe the drones are connected to foreign governments or evince attempts to compromise U.S. Capitol security, the rapid and ongoing evolution of Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) technologies poses an incontrovertible threat to the security of the United States, its citizens, leaders, and defining institutions.
A U.S. government contractor familiar with the regulatory peculiarities and security protocols applicable to D.C. airspace remarked: "There’s YouTube videos that could walk your grandparents through how to update the software on one of these drones to be non-detectable and to do a whole lot of other things—get rid of elevation ceilings, all kinds of stuff. If you were to go buy a DJI drone at the store, it wouldn’t fly over airports or specific cities because of a specific no-fly zone." Ergo, “… anything that we see in D.C. that is a DJI-manufactured product has been hacked or manipulated to enable flight in these zones.”
DJI is among the UAS industry’s most popular drone manufacturers. The company requires individuals who purchase its products to download proprietary software comprising in part mapping databases susceptible to remote monitoring. What’s more, DJI has been accused of collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party—an accusation lent credence by the fact Beijing is a direct investor in DJI and maintains considerable control over the company’s operations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in fact, requires all Chinese companies to populate their employee rosters with a contingent of communist party officials. This draconian tactic ostensibly ensures the Chinese workforce remains under the influence and control of the nation’s communist overlords.
In December 2021, the U.S. government added DJI to a Treasury Department blacklist.
More News
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Aero Linx: International Association of Professional Gyroplane Training (IAPGT) We are an Association of people who fly, build or regulate Gyroplanes, who have a dream of a single >[...]
NORDO (No Radio) Aircraft that cannot or do not communicate by radio when radio communication is required are referred to as “NORDO.”>[...]
Also: uAvionix AV-Link, F-16 Viper Demo, TN National Guard, 'Staff the Towers' A Saturday afternoon jump run, originating from SkyDive Kansas City, went bad when it was reported th>[...]
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) The operation of a UAS beyond the visual capability of the flight crew members (i.e., remote pilot in command [RPIC], the person manipulating th>[...]