IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - March 2021 - 7

Wang et al.
Table 2.

Some Recent UAS-Based Threats
Event

Description

Time

Category

Location

Influence

Drone
intrusion in
nonflight
zone

There were 54 drone
incursions in Super Bowl [23]

April 10,
2019

Safety

MercedesBenz
Stadium,
USA

Causing special
attention of law
enforcement
agencies

Drones
threatening
aviation
safety

Two drones crashed into
landing zone when a B787-9
was landing [24]

April 21,
2019

Safety

Heathrow
Airport,
UK

RAF have spent £5
million to prevent
future attacks

Drones
stealing
information

Spy drones hacked wireless
networks with softwaredefined radios [25]

July 29,
2011

Security

Las Vegas,
USA

Loss of information
security.

Drones
threatening
national
security

Border patrol spotted drones
trying to help migrants
illegally enter America [26]

April 19,
2019

Security

USMexico
border,
USA

Increasing border
protection difficulty

Drones
threatening
personal
privacy

Illegal activities obtained
individual's privacy using
drones [27]

October
28, 2018

Privacy

Orlando,
USA

Police taking part in
investigation

Drones
threatening
personal
privacy

Residents disturbed by
peeping drone outside
bedroom window [28]

February
23, 2018

Privacy

Upper
Hutt, New
Zealand

Privacy invasion
concerns

facilities, such as military bases, national landmarks,
and certain critical infrastructure, among others [9],
[10]; UAS-based privacy threats are due to operating
UAS with their camera on when pointing inside a private residence [4], [11].

SAFETY THREATS
The unmanned nature of UAS operations raises two
unique safety concerns that are not present in mannedaircraft operations: the pilot of the small UAS, who is
physically separated from it during flight, may not
have the ability to see manned aircraft in the air in
time to prevent a mid-air collision, and the pilot of the
small UAS could lose control of it due to a failure of
the communications link between the small UAS and
the pilot's handset for controlling the UAS [29]. Safety
risks related to the use of UAS include the potential
for unintentional collisions between a small UAS and
a manned aircraft or other objects, causing damage to
property, or injury, or death to persons [29]. Operating
UAS around airplanes, helicopters, and airports is dangerous and illegal.
MARCH 2021

SECURITY THREATS
UAS-related national security threats may include the
following [30].
 Weaponized or Smuggling Payloads: Depending on
power and payload size, UAS may be capable of
transporting contraband, chemical, or other explosive/weaponized payloads.
 Prohibited Surveillance and Reconnaissance: UAS
are capable of silently monitoring a large area from
the sky for nefarious purposes.
 Intellectual Property Theft: UAS can be used to perform cyber crimes involving theft of trade secrets,
technologies, or sensitive information.

PRIVACY THREATS
UAS-based privacy threats lie in intentional disruption or
harassment. UAS may be used to disrupt or invade the privacy of other individuals [30].
Some recent UAS-based threats are given in Table 2,
which shows the time and location of threat occurrence,
threat category, and corresponding consequences.

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