Homeland Security looking for (more than) a few good drones
September 28, 2012
Reaper Drone (Credit: USAF)
DHS to test unmanned aircraft for variety of applications.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week issued a call for unmanned systems makers to participate in a program that will ultimately determine their safety and performance for use in first responder, law enforcement and border security situations, Network World Layer 8 reports.
In a twist that will certainly raise some eyebrows, the program’s results of the ironically named program — The Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) — will remain unavailable to the public, which considering how involved the actual public may be with these drones is shall we say, unfortunate.
According to the DHS, the RAPS program will feature flight tests to evaluate unmanned systems “using key performance parameters under a wide variety of simulated but realistic and relevant real-world operational scenarios, such as law enforcement operations, search and rescue, and fire and hazardous material spill response.”
Watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office recently issued a report saying worries over national security, privacy, and the interference in Global Positioning-System (GPS) signals have not been resolved and may influence acceptance of routine access for unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system.
Comments (15)
by Infinitos
Quantum computers could solve this problem in the future specially with a quantum net it is very secure , in the mean time companies who would use drones will need a white hat group in order to secure there network just like microsoft .
by Joe
Of course RT does not like drones lol. I like how they say “us” in there commentary. That drone was not complex at all and did not use military data hopping. All planes will be drones in the future so this is good research and should be funded by the major airline companies.
by de Broglie
With big government, this is the other side of the coin.
by Bri
“People shouldn’t fear their governments. Governments should fear their people!” ….. Hold on a sec,,,,,, there’s a knock on the door.
by GAUSS
Haha not quite there yet, but it could be. The guns are turned inward and firing on their own ship.
by spf
Perhaps because we are not in a free society of representative government?
by JD
We live in a free country…the government is free to do whatever it likes; you and I are free to do what we’re told.
by Bri
As it stands now, the checks and balance system is being abused in the name of security. Not enough checks and no balance.
by Mr.X
@Bri: Beware, you are stepping on some ugly toes, as Marcos would say.
by Bri
I’m a born leverpooler, and I’ve got a whole in me pocket.
by GAUSS
Everything is being abused in the name of national security. “National security” has merely become a half-assed euphemism for everything America used to stand against. The United States of America is emerging as a totalitarian police state. The end.
by Hoss
The way I see things shakin out is the military and police will continue to get cooler and cooler gadgets each year, and a halt in innovation will occur on the civilian consumer side. You’ll eat when you’re told.
by GatorALLin
….nothing to see here…. move along please….. go about your business and normal routines…. just trust us….
This ted video illuminates some problems with our GPS systems, that Drones for example use to fly from. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLf4u2xJVM
by Editor
Yes, another reason for DARPA’s low-cost inertial nav development.
by david goodman
Governments often think things they do for public safety are ok. Then the abuse of personal freedoms versus the good of the public safety begins. Why would we need czars and executive orders in a free society of representative government.