Heathrow, Gatwick Airports Are Getting Anti-Drone Technology
London's two biggest airports, Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW), will install anti-drone technology after a series of reported drone sighting shutdown LGW for several days during the busy Christmas travel season.
The airports are investing millions of dollars in the new technology, HuffPostUK reports, to prevent similar widespread flight interruptions. Although the airports haven't disclosed the specific equipment they'll be using to shut out future drones, one technology thought to now be in use at Gatwick is an anti-drone dome.
That equipment has a range of several miles and uses radar to detect and jam drone signals so the devices cannot communicate with their operators. It was reportedly deployed on a roof at Gatwick.
“Working closely with relevant authorities including the Met Police, we are constantly looking at the best technologies that help remove the threat of drones," a spokesperson for Heathrow told HuffPost.
The recent drone sightings at Gatwick wreaked havoc on the airport from Dec. 19 to 21. The airport, which is the second busiest in all of Britain, was closed for 36 hours over the three-day stretch, and thousands of flights were canceled.
