Anti-drone tech to be deployed at Gatwick and Heathrow

Speaking to the Press Association, both airports confirmed they would invest millions in equipment to prevent future flight disruption.

A Gatwick spokeswoman said the airport had spent several million pounds on new defences after flights were grounded at the airport last month.

Its main runway was closed on 19 December after two drones were found flying nearby. The incident was so severe it prompted ministers to makea last minute Christmas Eve conference callto discuss how to deal with the problem.

The army were brought in to help deal with the travel chaos and the military hardware deployed to stop drones disrupting flights at Gatwick wasonly withdrawn this week.

A spokesman for Heathrow said they would also be investing millions in anti-drone technology, adding: “The safety of our passengers and colleagues remains our top priority.

“Working closely with relevant authorities including the Met Police, we are constantly looking at the best technologies that help remove the threat of drones.”

The Israeli-developed Drone Dome system is believed to be among the technology used at the airport by the army.

The anti-drone equipment can detect and jam communications between a drone and its operator and was deployed on a roof at Gatwick.

The system, which is said to have a range of several miles, uses four radars to give 360-degree detection in order to identify and track targets.

Gatwick and Heathrow have not disclosed the specific equipment they plan to deploy to counter the threat posed by drones.

Following last month’s incident the CEO of Gatwick said thatthe disruption “cannot happen again”并呼吁政府想出“right solutions” to prevent drones flying into airports in future.