Fear of drone GPS hacking raised by Congress as FAA deadline looms
In a House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee hearing late this week, members of Congress raised concerns over the potential security risks posed by jamming and electronic hijacking of unmanned aerial systems, and the potential use of drones by terrorists.
The hearing came as the deadline looms for the FAA to devise regulations and licensing that incorporate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the national airspace. And the agency is in the process of approving six test sites for UAV operations to help prepare for the full introduction of UAVs in 2015.
Citing a September 2011 arrest of a Massachusetts man who plotted (with the aid of FBI agents posing as Al Qaeda operatives) to use remotely piloted model aircraft to blow up the Capitol dome and attack the Pentagon, subcommittee chairman Rep. Michael McCall expressed frustration that the Department of Homeland Security had not heeded the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office to get involved in drone safety and oversight. "In discussions with my subcommittee staff," McCall said, "department officials repeatedly stated that the Department of Homeland Security does not see this function as part of their mission, and has no role" in overseeing unmanned aircraft.
