Qatar will use drones to help protect football stadiums from potential attacks during the FIFA World Cup 2022, the BBC reported on Friday.
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Fortem Technologies will provide so-called interceptor drones, following an agreement with Qatar’s interior ministry to fend off potential attacks from other drones at football venues, the British broadcaster reported. The Fortem drones will bring down and relocate other drones near stadiums that could pose a security threat.
The company reportedly said the “agreement reflects growing fears about the threat potential drone attacks pose in general.”
The US-based business says it has deployed anti-drone systems at other sporting events as well as donated portable versions of its system to Ukraine, and said it was also working on anti-drone measures for UK airports, according to the BBC report.
Increased threat of drone attacks
Professor David Dunn from the University of Birmingham in the UK told the BBC that the threat of attacks from terrorists using drones has increased because the technology has become more accessible.
Dr Steve Wright, from University of the West of England, believes worries about drones being used as a method of attack have been heightened partially because commercial drones have been modified into weapons in conflicts in Yemen and Ukraine.
He told the BBC that counter drones like Fortem’s can be effective against a threat from smaller drones but warned that as attacking drones increase in speed, they will be harder to stop.
“We’re looking at technologies of how we can push that out 200mph (322km/h), maybe even 300mph one day, as we squeeze the sponge of the electric technology we’ve got,” he told the BBC.
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