Drones - friend or foe?
The number of drones in Switzerland is increasing every year. But not every pilot only has good intentions. How can you effectively protect yourself against drone attacks?
Drones not only make the hearts of passionate photographers beat faster, but they are also useful helpers: they survey land, search for buried people and transport blood supplies. Even the first drone taxis are already in the air, and it is only a matter of time before they become the norm.
But there is also the other side of drones, the dark side. So-called non-cooperative drones – drones that cause damage - are a real danger. The damage can be caused either deliberately or accidentally. There are plenty of examples of both cases: in 2019, a drone brought all air traffic at London's Gatwick Airport to a standstill. The financial damage was huge, with the attack costing airlines around £50 million. Non-cooperative drones are also used to smuggle prohibited goods such as drugs across national borders or into prisons, as well as for industrial espionage or for terrorist purposes.
However, sometimes a drone also becomes a danger due to the pilot's carelessness: paragliders and small aeroplanes are regularly on a collision course with drones. Even on the ground you are not safe: a drone that crashed missed ski racer Marcel Hirscher only narrowly, and this in front of the camera. There is also unauthorised filming of people, flying over private property or circumventing copyright protection, such as when filming an open-air concert.Briefly summarised: Many drone pilots are not sufficiently aware of the applicable laws, which of course also exist in Switzerland, although they are more liberal than in the EU.
EU legislation failed in Switzerland
In 2021, the EU introduced new drone regulations that require drone pilots to register their devices. This removes their anonymity and is intended to prevent dangerous flight manoeuvres. Drone pilots must also pass a test. Online training is sufficient for smaller models, while a remote pilot licence is required for larger models. Switzerland actually wanted to join the EU. However, as model aircraft would also have been affected by the law, a motion was submitted - and accepted. As a result, the old law still applies here.
This has both positive and negative consequences: on one hand, Switzerland has become an innovative Eldorado for drones and is attracting many start-ups. On the other hand, the lax regulation means that everyone does what they want - and that inevitably leads to problems. Danny Schmid, Swisscom Broadcast Key Account Manager for Drone Defence, asks pointedly:
«Suppose there were traffic rules, but there were no traffic police or speed cameras around to enforce them. How much would you obey the laws?»
Danny Schmid, Key Account Manager Dronedefence at Swisscom Broadcast
Of course, there are also binding rules in Switzerland: Flights within five kilometres of an airstrip are prohibited. Larger airports such as Zurich, Bern and Geneva also have a control zone. These control zones also cover the areas of the larger cities. Furthermore, people are not allowed to be filmed or photographed without their consent, as this would violate the Swiss Data Protection Act. But to put it in Schmid's words: there are no driving licences, no traffic police and no speed traps. And so, drone pilots often - consciously or unconsciously - break the rules.
Little room for manoeuvre for private individuals
As a private individual, you can hardly defend yourself against an attack by a drone pilot. If you are having a cozy breakfast on the terrace and are filmed by a drone, you can only call the police. However, by the time the police arrive, the drone will be long gone. "As a private individual, you only have very limited power to act," explains Schmid. "It's worth taking a photo of the drone and making a note of the exact time and place, especially in the case of recurring offenders. That way, the police at least have a concrete clue.
"On the other hand, it is not permitted to use a breakfast plate as a frisbee to knock the drone out of the sky. After all, it is private property and an attack on the drone would be damage to property." Schmid again uses the comparison with road traffic: "If a stranger parks their car in my car park, I'm not allowed to scratch their bodywork either. I can only call the towing service." So instead of a projectile, rather reach for the phone.
Detection - Identification - Countermeasures
While drone overflights are annoying for private individuals, they rarely have serious consequences. The situation is different for companies. Drones are equipped with microphones and cameras, for example, and are used as spying devices. Industrial espionage is a lucrative business – therefore, it is worth protecting yourself against it. "There are various drone defence systems on the market that all work according to the same principle: Detection, identification and countermeasures," explains Schmid.
One example: a drone defence system detects the intruding drone and identifies it. Cameras, radar and artificial intelligence help with this process. If the drone is classified as non-cooperative, an alarm is triggered. Depending on the configuration of the defence system, it also automatically initiates measures such as darkening the windows. Such defence systems are becoming increasingly important, especially for larger areas. After all, no security agent can stare at the sky for days on end and recognise every drone. Systematic coverage of the airspace is particularly important for prisons and airports. They are therefore increasingly using professional drone detection systems.
Active countermeasures, so measures to disrupt the flight of the drone, are always only the third step. As with parking offences, the same applies here: Only the authorities are allowed to take action against the drone itself. For example, they can use a jammer to interfere with the drone's radio signals and bring it down. Net guns or ramming a drone with another drone are further options for the police or border guards.
Which system is the best?
"The manufacturers are in a race to create the best drone defence solution," explains Schmid. "No winner is yet recognisable. The different technologies have different advantages and disadvantages - depending on the situation, an interception net or a jammer may make more sense." Schmid believes that a lot will change in the coming years. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile for a company to get to grips with the topic today. "With Drone Spotter, Swisscom Broadcast offers a comprehensive system for recognising, identifying and initiating countermeasures. The big advantage is that it can be customised according to the customer's needs." Regardless of whether a customer just wants to get an overview of drone flights in the area, whether certain automatic protective measures need to be initiated or whether the authorities need to be called out, Drone Spotter covers all eventualities. "We deliberately work with several manufacturers. This gives us and our customers the freedom to always benefit from the latest technological developments."
