Huge drone-busting gun could stop smugglers flying drugs into prisons

 

which can stop a remote-controlled aircraft from more than a mile away.

The sophisticated but simple to use device – which looks like a rifle – emits a signal that either stops the drone in mid-air and forces it to land or it can be used to return the craft to its operator – so it can be followed and the person arrested.

It could also be used by airport staff to combat the increasing menace of drones being deployed near runways to ‘buzz’ aircraft.

Security experts also fear that a drone packed with high explosives could be flown into the engine of a passenger plane by terrorists.

The US firm behind the device – called Droneshield - offers a range of other drone-jamming equipment costing between £10,000 and £100,000.

But the portable DroneGun is their most important breakthrough.

The firm’s website says: “DroneGun provides a safe countermeasure against a wide range of drone models.

“It allows for a controlled management of drone payload such as explosives, with no damage to common drones models or surrounding environment due to the drones generally responding via a vertical controlled landing on the spot, or returning back to the starting point (assisting to track the operator).”

It is now seeking permission from the US government to able to market the device to law enforcement agencies – including police and prisons – across the world.

Ministry of Justice bosses have admitted that they are actively exploring new avenues to prevent drone drops at prisons.

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