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INTERPOL carries out full-scale drone countermeasure exercise

Alongside the Norwegian Police, INTERPOL has carried out a three-day exercise to evaluate and test drone countermeasures in a secure airspace environment.

The real-life exercise gathered law enforcement, academia and industry experts from Europe, Israel, and the United States to test and assess 17 drone countermeasures to ensure the safety of an airport environment through the detection, tracking, and identification of drones and their pilots.

Each countermeasure was assessed and graded against specified criteria. The results will be consolidated to create an INTERPOL Drone Countermeasure Framework which will be available to law enforcement across INTERPOL’s 194 member countries, creating a global focal point for collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Although countermeasures can be used to detect, identify, and locate a drone within an area, many countries do not have the legislation which allows authorities to interfere with a drone when it is in flight. This is a huge challenge for law enforcement, governments and air space owners, pointing to a clear need to improve understanding of drone threats, as well as guidance and reporting mechanisms.

The exercise was held at the Oslo Gardermoen Airport while it was in active operation.

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