As consumer-focused quadcopter drones become increasingly capable, available, and affordable, the potential that they may be used by bad actors grows in kind. There are a variety of effective drone countermeasures, like radio jammers or nets, with which you may already be familiar. There are also, apparently majestic eagles.
The video above shows one such encounter, orchestrated by the Dutch National Police. Law enforcement in the Netherlands has apparently partnered with a “raptor-training company” called Guard From Above to teach eagles to identify drones, snatch them out of the sky, and fly them somewhere away from the public. It’s exactly the kind of protection you would expect from a bird of prey and symbol of patriotic vim.
If it seems silly or stunt-like, keep in mind that more conventional drone containment methods aren’t much better. As a recent study from non-profit group Open Briefing details, the available options fall into two camps: “shoot it” or “jam its sensors.” In the former case, you might miss (and hit something else), and even if you hit you’re left with a heavy drone falling to earth, potentially onto someone’s head. In the latter, you end up canceling out GPS or radio signals for everyone in the area, which isn’t practical as a preventative measure.
But an eagle! An eagle can swoop in and swoop right out again with the drone without bothering passersby one bit. In theory, at least, it promises significantly less collateral damage than other proposed methods.
There are, as you might imagine, a few potential downsides. There's harm to the eagles, should they catch a stray propeller during the grab, or should the drones they fly off with be in some way weaponized. There's the logistical challenge of where and when to put them in service. And there's the realization that every eagle that's patrolling the Dutch skies is an eagle that's not posed next to an American flag, in front of red, white, and blue fireworks, atop a purple mountain majesty.
The Dutch Police will continue tests for several months before deciding whether to implement the eagles full-time. Which means that no matter what they decide, we’ll hopefully be getting a few more videos like this one.
