Droner kan knuse cockpit glasset - Curt Lewis

Register tracks drones as research shows gadgets can smash plane windscreens

A drone registration system is to be launched after research found the flying gadgets could smash plane windscreens, the Government has announced.

The measure will help authorities trace the devices' owners when they are used inappropriately.

New rules announced by the Government mean drones weighing 250g or more will have to be registered. An online or app-based system may be introduced and users will have to pass a safety awareness test as part of the process.

Concerns that a mid-air collision between a drone and an aircraft could occur have been fuelled by scores of near misses.

Forty-eight incidents involving drones or unknown objects were investigated by the UK Airprox Board during the first half of the year.

Pilots' union Balpa said the results of the study into what would happen in the event of a crash were "robust verification" for its warnings of possible catastrophe.

It funded independent tests with the Department for Transport (DfT) and regulator the Military Aviation Authority which revealed that drones weighing 400g could smash a helicopter windscreen, and those weighing 2kg could critically damage an airliner windscreen.

Helicopter rotors could also be shattered by the gadgets, according to the research.

Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: "Pilots have been warning about the rise in the number of cases of drones being flown irresponsibly close to aircraft and airports for some time.

"This report clearly shows that readily-available drones which can be flown by anyone can shatter or go straight through an aircraft windshield or shatter a helicopter rotor. And those impacts would have catastrophic consequences."

He added: "We hope that urgent Government action will now follow to control this proven threat before there is a disaster and lives are lost."

The DfT said it is exploring the best legislative options for introducing the tougher operating rules.

It also plans to expand the use of geo-fencing, through which drones are programmed not to enter restricted locations, such as prisons or airports.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) called for a register of drone users to be linked to systems which would allow real-time tracking and tracing of the gadgets, to aid enforcement of flying laws.

The weight restriction on the registration rules mean many small drones available on the high street will be unaffected as they are too light.

An investigation published earlier this year revealed police are being flooded with reports about drones.

The gadgets are at the centre of thousands of episodes registered by police forces each year, including rows between neighbours, prison smuggling, burglary "scoping" exercises and snooping fears.

Figures obtained by the Press Association show forces recorded 3,456 episodes last year, almost triple the 2015 figure of 1,237 and more than 12 times the 2014 tally of 283.

Aviation minister Lord Callanan claimed the new rules will strike a balance between taking advantage of the benefits of drones while minimising their misuse.

He said: "Our measures prioritise protecting the public while maximising the full potential of drones.

"Increasingly, drones are proving vital for inspecting transport infrastructure for repair or aiding police and fire services in search and rescue operations, even helping to save lives.

"But like all technology, drones too can be misused. By registering drones and introducing safety awareness tests to educate users, we can reduce the inadvertent breaching of airspace restrictions to protect the public."

The measures follow a consultation looking at ways to make drone use safer.

Commercial operators already have to complete a training course approved by the CAA and notify the regulator of what drones they have.

Cockpit windshields resilient to typical drone strikes: analysis

Collision tests to assess the potential damage which a drone could inflict on aircraft indicate that airliner windshields are relatively resistant to a strike.

Testing intended to determine the lowest speeds at which critical damage could occur found that cockpit penetration was possible, albeit with a heavier drone, some 4kg, at high closing speeds.

Farnborough-based technology firm Qinetiq and collision specialist Natural Impacts carried out the research on behalf of the UK Department for Transport, the Military Aviation Authority and pilots' union BALPA.

While the final analysis of the experiments does not give specific details, FlightGlobal understands that the windshield penetration occurred at a substantially higher speed than the 250kt to which aircraft are typically restricted below 10,000ft. The European Aviation Safety Agency, in a similar collision study last October, assumed aircraft would be travelling at a calibrated airspeed of 340kt above 10,000ft.

Qinetiq's analysis concluded that airliner windshields "could retain integrity" during impacts with drones at typical later-stage approach and landing speeds, even after sustaining substantial damage.

The airliner testing primarily used a cockpit windshield constructed of three glass layers, and the live tests were complemented with the use of computer modelling.

Modelling and testing, says the analysis, showed that severe windshield damage "did not occur" at higher altitudes and speeds with drones in the 1.2kg category.

But it adds that such damage, including structural failure, "could occur" under these conditions with a 4kg drone.


One live high-speed test, using a 3.5kg fixed-wing drone against a simpler windshield comprising only two glass layers, resulted in penetration. The analysis says the construction of a drone, including the exposure of metal parts, is crucial to the severity of an impact.

But the analysis also points out that the probability of encountering a heavy drone at high speeds - the combination which can cause critical damage - is "significantly less" than the risk of a collision with a toy device.

BALPA claims the testing, despite demonstrating the resilience of aircraft windshields, are a "robust verification" of its concerns over the drone collision threat.

The UK government, as it released the analysis, disclosed that it planned to introduce mandatory registration for drones over 250g and revealed plans for a safety-awareness test for owners.

BALPA is citing additional results of Qinetiq's testing which assessed the effects of drone impact on smaller aircraft types and, in particular, helicopters.

Helicopter tail rotors, and windshields which are not birdstrike-certified, are particularly vulnerable, even below normal cruise speeds, the analysis found. The windshield issue could also apply to general aviation aircraft.

Windshields which are birdstrike-certified "could still be critically damaged" at normal cruise speeds, it adds.

While the analysis has increased knowledge regarding the severity of an impact, it says, a full examination of the risks involved would require additional work in order to estimate the probability of a collision.