Gatwick closed (mod note post 1)

bmay529

Maybe it as been covered earlier but why can't the drone be shot down? It all sounds as if there is something odd about the whole incident if they are prepared to close a main airport and disrupt so many people for so long!!!

ED E

Sky News talking about up to four drones.

bmay529 wrote: »

Maybe it as been covered earlier but why can't the drone be shot down? It all sounds as if there is something odd about the whole incident if they are prepared to close a main airport and disrupt so many people for so long!!!

They've changed policy to allow it now. Its a safety issue as shotguns wont reach it and bullets could hit civilians miles away if fired into the air.

kevinandrew

Hurrache wrote: »

Don't know how true or not this is, but apparently this is the latest sighting
https://twitter.com/lord_splashy/status/1075868982899548162?s=19

This just looks like a video of an aircraft taxing off the runway followed by another aircraft carrying out a standard go around. The runway and taxiway layout looks similar Gatwick but the video in question could just be from NPAS police helicopters which often share videos and photos during their patrols.

BarryD2

That the mighty British military & security services have been defeated by this so far is extraordinary and pretty embarrassing for them. How have they even not managed to track it, visually to where it’s landing??

What Username Guidelines

I’m far from a conspiracy theorist but there’s something fishy about this one. There absolutely has to be more to this story than authorities/media are letting on. Over 24hrs now and zero confirmed footage of any drone. Plenty of specific tech out there to track drones and plenty of other traditional methods of just following the drone after a sighting to see the recharge method. Perhaps a coordinated attack with many bad actors that’s too complex to track? Either way this is potentially entering a whole new era of copycat attacks and a fairly significant lockdown on hobby drones.

Hurrache

Train issues now too. Imagine you're on a train thinking you're getting to a hotel or elsewhere and getting stuck on a train.

https://twitter.com/Se_Railway/status/1075880005429854208?s=19

NIMAN

You'd nearly think the are letting this happen to being in draconian anti-drone laws.

Stephen15

Train issues are being caused by a fire in a substation so probably separate to this

Wheres Me Jumper?

i bet it's that miserable old grinch Corbyn. probably wants to create a distraction after calling poor Treesa a "stupid woman".
he looks the sort for sure.

i bet he doesn't even celebrate Christmas!

Stephen15

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

I’m far from a conspiracy theorist but there’s something fishy about this one. There absolutely has to be more to this story than authorities/media are letting on. Over 24hrs now and zero confirmed footage of any drone. Plenty of specific tech out there to track drones and plenty of other traditional methods of just following the drone after a sighting to see the recharge method. Perhaps a coordinated attack with many bad actors that’s too complex to track? Either way this is potentially entering a whole new era of copycat attacks and a fairly significant lockdown on hobby drones.

Brexit protest possibly showing the possible disruption a no deal scenario could cause perhaps

Padraig Mor

Hurrache wrote: »

Train issues now too. Imagine you're on a train thinking you're getting to a hotel or elsewhere and getting stuck on a train.

Big computer problems in Heathrow T5 today as well, which seems to have escaped mention. Dunno.......think I might dust off the ol' tinfoil hat!

Hurrache

Stephen15 wrote: »

Train issues are being caused by a fire in a substation so probably separate to this

Yeah not saying they're related, just that it's a massive pisser.

Stephen15

Hurrache wrote: »

Yeah not saying they're related, just that it's a massive pisser.

Rail disruption seems to happen every second day in London for one reason or another

Wheres Me Jumper?

Not sure if i feel ok quoting The Sun!!!
but they seem to think it's an Eco-Warrior.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8023028/gatwick-shut-drone-eco-warrior-cops-army-mi5/

Hurrache

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

Not sure if i feel ok quoting The Sun!!!
but they seem to think it's an Eco-Warrior.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8023028/gatwick-shut-drone-eco-warrior-cops-army-mi5/

I unfortunately clicked through. Pretty much a made up story with their claims and assumptions, with someone claiming they believe the person behind it is educated to PhD level.

Wheres Me Jumper?

Hurrache wrote: »

I unfortunately clicked through. Pretty much a made up story with their claims and assumptions, with someone claiming they believe the person behind it is educated to PhD level.

well whoever he/she is he seems to be fairly proficient in it's use, and has led Sussex police on a merry dance.

ED E

If it were Russia they could have purchased 50 units and be using them as disposables. If it doesn't RTB you can't find its controller.

faoiarvok

dhaughton99 wrote: »

I’m surprised that localized radar or all the fancy equipment in an airport wouldn’t be able to pick this up and follow.

I would be surprised if the surface movements radar system wasn’t technically capable of painting the drone, though its setup could well have it filter out such a small target to avoid “clutter” from lone birds etc. If so, however, it’s only useful to tell you where it is over the airfield, and wouldn’t have the detail or accuracy to follow such a small target at any significant range from the field.

Van.Bosch

I’m not supporting them but whoever it is has done an excellent job at causing havoc. If I was them I’d retire for a few hours and either start again after a few hours of ops or move to Heathrow.

You’d have to imagine there is more to it though, I don’t know what but if there isn’t then it’s amazing the damage a few people can do.

Wheres Me Jumper?

ED E wrote: »

If it were Russia they could have purchased 50 units and be using them as disposables. If it doesn't RTB you can't find its controller.

but would that not be akin to an act of war?

faoiarvok

Jeff2 wrote: »

I don't know that much about these things but if I can track a plane on the ground on flighttracker there has to be a way to control a drone that way.

Those two things are totally unrelated.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Are drones impossible to find on radar?

Surely it’s worth shooting it down now. Elf and safety be damned.

bilston

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Are drones impossible to find on radar?

Surely it’s worth shooting it down now. Elf and safety be damned.

Is Gatwick near populated areas? Shooting a drone down over a residential area is hardly a wise thing to do.

Wheres Me Jumper?

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Are drones impossible to find on radar?

Surely it’s worth shooting it down now. Elf and safety be damned.

i see what you did there! ELF and safety. Very good:D

Locker10a

bilston wrote: »

Is Gatwick near populated areas? Shooting a drone down over a residential area is hardly a wise thing to do.

Yes is the short answer! Some farm land either end of the runway but parallel to the runway are towns that are in very close proximity

dresden8

robinph wrote: »

Not like there are many people hanging around the runway area likely to be hit. Not sure what the problem is, other than them finding a bullet on the runway in a few years time and having forgotten that they fired it so there being a security alert due to that.

Bullets go for miles.

Wheres Me Jumper?

someone somewhere is gonna make a bucketload of money outta this.

HTCOne

One would absolutely knacker a jet engine, I’m sure there are others on here who remember a Pilot’s forgotten headset killing an A320 engine a few years ago in DUB. Even ignoring the safety aspect, these engines cost several million each, not worth the risk from a financial point of view alone.

Donegal Storm

As others have said the whole story is a bit bizarre and surely there's more to it. Drones aren't exactly invisible, you'd think with the massive surveillance & military operation and mass media attention there'd be more than intermittent and barely confirmed "sightings" at this stage..

n!ghtmancometh

Maybe the media have been asked to tone down the coverage a wee bit, y'know, to avoid encouraging copycats. I'd imagine police have put a cordon around the exterior public access roads too, probably limiting chances of any pics/vids of the drones.