Both Drones and Counter-Drone Solutions Required for Public Safety: The European Drone Summit Master Class

The European Drone Summit, a leading platform for the European drone industry, is held in conjunction with the INTERGEO and INTERAERIAL SOLUTIONS shows, some of the largest shows in the world for the drone industry.

This year, the European Drone Summit will offer Master Classes for the industry – and one of them is about drone technology in public safety.  This class takes a broad approach to the question of using drones to prevent accidents and crime: pointing out that it may require both drones and counter-drone systems to protect communities.

The following is a European Drone Summit press release.

Master Class 2: Safety and security using UAS as well as counter drone systems – Preventing accidents and crime

Stuttgart/Braunschweig/Karlsruhe, 07 August 2019. During the pre-Christmas rush in 2018, drones closed down London’s Gatwick Airport. In March and May of this year, sightings of drones also interrupted flights at Frankfurt Airport for half and then three quarters of an hour, preventing planes from taking off or landing at one of Europe’s key transportation hubs on both occasions. According to statistics issued by German air traffic control, a total of 158 incidents of this kind occurred at airports around Germany during 2018. These events raise the question of how to handle this technology that can achieve so much good when used properly but cause losses running into the millions in the wrong hands? What potential forms of defence exist? What technology can be used to protect sensitive infrastructure?

“Safety and security using UAS as well as counter drone systems” will examine precisely this issue as one of four Master Classes at the 2nd EUROPEAN DRONE SUMMIT (EDS), to be held in Stuttgart on 18 and 19 September 2019 as part of INTERGEO, the world’s leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management, and in tandem with INTERAERIAL SOLUTIONS, Europe’s biggest trade fair for drones.

Master Class 2 on 18 September (starting at 3:30 p.m.) will involve:
– Udo Hansen, President of the German Association of Air Safety Companies (Bundesverband der Luftsicherheitsunternehmen – BDLS)
– Michael Büsing, Head of Operations & Infrastructure in the German Airports Association ADV
– Prof. Elmar Giemulla, lawyer and Honorary Professor of Air Traffic Law at the Technical University of Berlin
– Dirk-Heinrich Bothe, Police Commander, M.A., Section 21 – Management and Operations, Special Forces, German Federal Police HQ
– Andreas Fietze, safety and security expert, Head of Group Asset Protection at VW AG

Legal regulations
This Master Class will focus on legal regulations, among other issues. Which laws and structures must be adapted to ensure efficient protection? “This is a complex matter due to the breadth of aspects that legislators need to consider. These range from people launching toy drones from their back gardens to amateurs flying drones as a hobby, perhaps causing a nuisance to other people, and the pilots of model aircraft. Then there are, of course, those who break the law, perhaps harassing sunbathing neighbours or even disrupting air traffic on approach,” explains Prof. Elmar Giemulla, an expert in air traffic law.

Appropriate defensive technology
While anti-UAV defence systems were immediately installed at London’s airports in response to the above-mentioned incident, the reaction has been more sluggish in Germany. Having said that, the issue of defence against drones is right at the top of the agenda at the 13 German airports that make up the ADV. Michael Büsing, the organisation’s Head of Operations & Infrastructure, will explain how far they have to go yet to ensure uninterrupted operations day in, day out.

Jurisdiction
While air traffic control is responsible for detecting drone activity, fundamentally, it’s the responsibility of the police to remove them from German air space, as this constitutes a form of emergency response. The question is – where does the boundary lie between federal and regional state police jurisdiction? Dirk-Heinrich Bothe from the German Federal Police explains the demarcation lines in both theory and practice.

Interaction expressly desired
The Master Class format relies on critical input from all involved. The host will therefore actively encourage the audience to contribute to the discussion. In addition, the experts will also be on hand during the breaks.

Master Classes
The three other Master Classes will examine the subjects of “Integrating UAS into airspace as a whole”, “Vertical mobility using UAS in urban environments” and “UAS services based on the example of medical provision”.

About the EDS
The EUROPEAN DRONE SUMMIT is the European platform for discussing the current needs of the UAS industry, both for people with an interest in the industry and for long-standing aficionados. This international conference will host speakers from the fields of politics, legislation, research, industry and business, discussing the strategies adopted to ensure efficient usage of UAS. The aim is to provide vital impetus for gaining public acceptance and to pinpoint solutions for ensuring commercial unmanned aircraft systems are used safely, securely and effectively in the skies over Europe.
The EUROPEAN DRONE SUMMIT is organised by UAV DACH e.V., the leading trade association for commercial unmanned aircraft systems, and HINTE Expo & Conference.