One lawmaker is asking the Air Force to expedite its acquisition and development of technology to combat the growing threat of explosive drones overseas that could also be used for attacks on the homeland.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James Wednesday asking for a detailed briefing on where the service stands in developing new technology to counter the threat, as well as what resources are available.
“The recent use of an explosive unmanned aerial system by the Islamic State — resulting in several coalition deaths and injuries — reveals a new threat from America’s adversaries with access to inexpensive and commercially available unmanned aircraft,” Hunter wrote in the letter. “While this incident occurred amid operations in Iraq, I am no less concerned about the use of this method by the Islamic State, and other actors, to launch domestic attacks on soft targets.”
Hunter also said he would “strongly encourage” increasing the attention and emphasis placed on developing systems to counter unmanned threats.
James spoke this week about how the quickly growing threat of explosives attached to small, cheap drones is not compatible with the Pentagon’s bureaucratic and slow-moving acquisition system.
“It’s an example of something we have to attack quickly,” James said on Monday.
James also talked about two recent incidents overseas involving commercial, unmanned systems. One saw four people killed, though none was an American, while the other required the U.S. Air Force to use “electronic measures” to bring down a drone.
