UK prison deploys anti-drone shield to quash aerial invaders

A British prison is the world’s first place to use a drone “disruptor” to build an anti-drone “shield” around its perimeter.

This anti-drone shield is built using around 20 sensors to jam a drone-processing unit, blocking its radio frequencies and rendering all remote control obsolete. The 2,000ft (600m) dome around the prison won’t destroy devices; instead, it will simply deflect an incoming drone, sending it back to its point of origin.

Prisons in the UK are having a hard time trying to quash drone-related contraband deliveries into their airspace. Last year, two drug-smuggling drones were recovered from inside Pentonville Prison, and the National Offender Management Service has been warning about the dangers of drones in the UK’s prison system since 2015.

Guernsey’s Les Nicolles prison is the first in the world to adopt such technology, opting for a more advanced system over a simple drone-detection “fence”.

“This is the first time this technology has been used in any prison anywhere in the world,” prison governor Dave Matthews said in a statement.

“I would like to see it adopted in other UK prisons because it has become a significant problem there. Drones can carry weapons, contraband, mobile phones and drugs. This is about prevention.”

The technology, called Sky Fence, has been created by UK companies Drone Defence and Eclipse Digital Solutions, and has been in development for the past year. It’s designed to be perfectly safe without hacking or physically damaging the drones. It’s also not too expensive for prisons as, depending on coverage area, the shield costs £100,000-250,000.

If the technology works well at Les Nicolles, hopefully more UK prisons will be able to adopt it to fight back against drones invading their airspace. Of course, the major worry is that drone manufacturers, or even homemade drone enthusiasts, will find workarounds to the Sky Fence system.

If all else fails, at least this anti-drone gun should work a treat.