It's that time of year again. Time to attack the mall like a soldier on a mission with a list of must-have gifts for friends and family alike. But what do you get your paranoid friend who fears that drones are the first step in the inevitable robot apocalypse? How about a state-of-the-art drone gun? Spoiler. You'll have to wait for the FCC's blessing before you can get one.
According to Kelsey D. Atherton for Popular Science: "The latest, from DroneShield, is the plainly-named “Dronegun.” The company claims the weapon has a range of over a mile, and promises to immediately cease video transmission back to the drone operator. While borrowing a form-factor and name from firearms, the Dronegun appears to be like other anti-drone jamming rifles: an antenna attached to a computer and shaped like a gun.
We’ve previously seen the DroneDefender, an anti-drone antenna-rifle by Battelle Memorial Institute. We’ve already seen photographs showing weathered and deployed DroneDefenders in Iraq. And abroad makes sense; DroneShield’s Dronegun page contains a large and explicit disclaimer that “this device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, in the United States, other than to the United States government and its agencies” until it’s authorized by the FCC. Why the FCC? These antenna-guns are jamming and control devices, sending radio signals that interfere with and overpower the commands given by the drone’s pilot. Jamming devices are prohibited within the United States, no matter how useful they may prove on the battlefields around Mosul."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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