Drone Lands On British Warship and No One Seemed to Notice
An unknown drone landing on a military ship is not the kind of thing that happens every day, but an even more bizarre in occurrence was a DJI Phantom drone landing on the largest British warship. The drone landed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth and even took a photo before it flew off. Strangely enough, incident didn’t seem to warrant much attention from British security; it’s as if no one noticed it or cared.
The drone was piloted by a photographer who remains unnamed. The photographer explained to BBC Scotland that the landing was unintentional and that he even went to the military office to explain the whole thing afterwards. The photographer says that they took down his information but there was no follow up from British security.
During the interview, he says that the landing was due to a high-wind alert which forced him to touch down. As he explained the landing, the one concern that arose was the ease with which he was able to touch down on the military ship. To put things in perspective, the Phantom drone he was piloting is capable of carrying explosives. If such an attack was to be carried out, the drone would land, drop the explosives and fly off again as easily as the photographer did it.
As a matter of fact, an attack of this kind is very practical in battle scenarios. Terrorist groups like ISIS and HAMAS have a reputation for using weaponized drones in attacks. ISIS carried out such an attack against Iraqi troops in a battle in city of Mosul, devastating an Iraqi outpost. Such tactics have gained popularity with ISIS and their use of drones is getting more sophisticated. It is a battlefield development of high stakes, and radically changes the way drones are used.
The Ministry of Defense has, however, responded to the incident. In its response to the BBC, the ministry said that the matter is under investigation and that security protocols are going to be increased in the future. The U.S has already put in place measures that allow drones to be shot down if they fly too close to military facilities.
The weaponized use of such devices is a hot topic at the moment. In Connecticut, the use of drones for police work is a common occurrence. Police in the state may be allowed to use drones with weapons such as teargas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray in certain circumstance.
Lawmakers across the globe need to be aware of the significant changes that drones present in the battlefield and make laws that govern the use of these unmanned craft. The use of such weapons in wars could have cataclysmic effects and it is upon governments to see to it that they put legislation in place to ensure security of the public they serve.
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