The drone industry is currently growing exponentially with no signs of slowing down. While this is a good thing for all related industries that benefit from drones, new technologies always bring unexpected challenges and regulatory needs.

　　The FAA has done an excellent job of moving quickly to ensure that remote pilots and the public are comfortable with the evolutionary phase we are currently going through. Needless to say, despite everyone's best efforts, the introduction of drones into commercial airspace has not been smooth sailing.

　　Whether intentional or not, there have been enough illegal incidents that require counter-attack technology to keep drones away from areas where safety is a top priority.

　　What is a drone jammer?

　　Unfortunately, a drone jammer isn't a onesie you put on before tucking your drone into your bed.

　　Drone jammers are gps jammer machines designed to emit electromagnetic noise at radio frequencies to neutralize the same radio and GPS signals that drones use to operate. Drone jammers are typically assigned to 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz, which are public frequencies not assigned to manned aircraft, public address, or cell phone signals.

　　They usually look very much like a pistol and work by projecting the jammer's signal into a cone of about 15-30 degrees. When a drone is hit by a jammer's signal, the most common reaction is for the drone to fly back to its origin, allowing the jammer operator to track the drone to the pilot. In other cases, drone jammers may land drones on the scene for forensic investigations.

　　Rugged drone jammers on the market can operate from miles away, and they get better and better as the pilot's remote gets further away from the drone. This technology is actually a win-win solution for both the pilot and the control agency, as it poses far less risk than other drone countermeasures, and in most cases allows the pilot's drone to remain unharmed.

　　Jamming drones with radio signals is the preferred and safest method of controlling unauthorized drones. However, since not all drones are purchased and built through DJI or other commercial manufacturers, there is room for more physical measurements if drone radio frequency jamming is not up to the task. Other measures used include:

　　Drone Nets - If drones violate jamming signals, depending on the situation, larger drone carrying nets can be deployed to physically capture unauthorized drones and take them out of the sky. In this case, the chances of the drone falling from the sky are more likely, and the pilot is likely to be unable to recover the drone as a whole, if at all

　　Because drone jamming is legally limited to the federal government, current applications of the technology are limited to high-level activities and operations directly related to the Secret Service and the military. One of the first public announcements about signal jamming and government security occurred in 2015 when a drone crashed on the White House lawn.

　　A CIA official spoke to The Associated Press to find out why they missed the drone and how to immediately ramp up efforts to further secure the White House through signal jamming. If you don't know much about the specific technologies and protocols involved in drone jamming, it's because the federal government tries to keep it safe by developing its own technology and creating specific legislation.

　　Right now it is clear that our government is busy working on drone jamming technology that will protect our skies from ordinary commercial remote pilots and those who intend to cause damage.

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