Advanced robotics have furthered the development of autonomous systems, which increasingly have produced unmanned platforms for security applications. Robots that can defuse bombs, for example, can mitigate specific threats while safeguarding human lives. So too have drones widened the use of video surveillance from the air. SIA tracks the latest developments in such technologies for its members.

small uncrewed aircraft systems
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Guest Post: sUAS and the Urban Fight  

Building Intelligence’s Bill Edwards, Chair of the SIA Counter-UAS Working Group, Discusses How Tunnels Affect Drone Operations and Why Security Professionals Should Care Operating, detecting and mitigating drones in a dense urban environment is not only hard but extremely complex. This is not only true for combat zones but can also include large city environments.…

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Guest Post: Building the “Air Domain” Into Your Security Program

Building Intelligence’s Bill Edwards, Chair of the SIA Counter-UAS Working Group, Answers the Question, “Where Do I Start?” The small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) evolution is well underway. A recent drone event in New Jersey, where a person used their sUAS platform to drop chemicals into swimming pools to turn the water green, is not…

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stage and crowd
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Securing Mass Gathering Events: A Simple Design Framework That Considers the Air Domain

Planning and executing a mass gathering event is challenging, requires extensive coordination and can be time-consuming – it is also one of the most important security and safety actions you can take when it comes to protecting the public in dense crowd environments. Properly setting the conditions for a secure and safe outcome should always be…

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drone and military personnel
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Ukraine Is the World’s Drone Laboratory: How Does This Transcend Security in Society?

The war in Ukraine has brought us a ringside view of the most expansive drone technology testing the world has ever seen. Hundreds of simultaneous experiments of aerial, terrestrial and aquatic platforms are being used for combat operations. Real-time reports and researched articles surface daily and reinforce that drone technology is maturing precipitously. Many technological advancements…

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autonomous solutions
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Autonomous Solutions Gaining Acceptance From Regulators, Law Enforcement and Hollywood

Security practitioners who want to deploy advanced solutions sometimes find themselves constrained by laws and regulations that cannot keep up with the pace of technological change. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules related to uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, for example, can take months or years to be developed, put through the public comment period,…

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drone flying over city
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Protecting Mass Gathering Venues Against Drone Threats: How SIA and the Industry Are Leading the Way

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Bill Edwards and Cory Peterson discuss how SIA and our members are working to advance UAS-specific authorities and regulations within the United States Code. It’s Time to Protect the Public   The weaponization of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, poses a significant threat to public safety and, specifically, those venues that…

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Commercial drones and security
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Guest Opinion: Act Now to Secure Public Space: Commercial Drones Continue to Evolve and We Have No Plan!

I’ve written before about the urgent need to update and develop airspace regulations for commercial drone technology, and I want to share further thoughts and ideas with the security industry and policy leaders, as I am frustrated with the speed of change on these matters. The time has come to make real changes and develop…

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Drone-Related Threats Addressed in New Government Stopgap Funding Law and Multiple Active Bills

The U.S. government has narrowly averted a midnight shutdown of most federal agencies with the passage of a short-term spending bill hours before the deadline.  The stopgap bill passed in the Senate with a 72-25 vote, passed 230 to 201 out of the House and was then signed by President Joe Biden. The legislation, known…

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Guest Opinion: It’s Time for Counter-Unmanned Aerial/Aircraft Systems in the Private Sector

Protecting Our Public Space Using “Take Control” Technology In March 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new rule for the commercial drone market requiring “digital license plates” by September 2023. This move is positive, but there are many reasons why it still falls short of what our aviation governing body of the nation…

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