On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Evening Edit,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) reacted to reports of Chinese-manufactured drones intruding into areas of restricted airspace over Washington, D.C. by stating that drones accessing restricted areas is a nationwide risk and the U.S. needs not only electronic measures to knock intrusive drones down, but the kinetic ability to take down autonomous drones as that technology develops.
Gimenez stated, “You’ve got Chinese-manufactured drones, not necessarily flown by the Chinese, but they’re made in China. They are getting into restricted areas, and so that’s a concern, not only in the capital, it’s a concern around the United States, areas such as airports, etc., critical infrastructure. Look, four years ago, when I went to Israel on a trade mission, we made an effort to stop by Tel Aviv airport to talk about drones and the threat of drones to airports and what were the Israelis doing about it. Because the Israelis somehow always seem to be about a step or two ahead of us when it comes to these threats and how to handle them.”
He added, “[W]e not only need electronic counter-measures to knock them down. But eventually, we’re going to have to have some kind of kinetic energy to knock them down too for those drones that are autonomously flying around.”
Gimenez concluded, “Drones are going to become increasingly a bigger threat.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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