Report: Drones Trespassing on Nuclear Facilities Pose ‘Growing Threat’

The increasing frequency of drones carrying out “unauthorized intrusions” over nuclear facilities poses a “growing threat,” according to the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command.

“Of recent concern have been the unauthorized flights of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) over Navy and Air Force installations,” said Gen. John E. Hyten to Congress on Wednesday. “These intrusions represent a growing threat to the safety and security of nuclear weapons and personnel.”

“We are continually assessing threats to ensure our security apparatus is capable of denying unauthorized access or use of nuclear weapons,” he continued, before adding that they are working on “counter-unmanned aerial system defenses ,” that will “effectively detect, track and, if necessary, engage small UAS vehicles.”

In November, it was revealed that “DroneGun,” a new product from company DroneShield, would allow users to take down drones by scrambling and cutting off the machine’s electronic communications and returning it either to the “offending party” or a safe area, while in October, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that allows emergency responders in the state to take out drones without fear of liability for the damage.

In August, a 65-year-old woman from Virginia shot down a drone after she spotted it hovering over her property, while a Kentucky man also made the news last year after he shot down a drone that was allegedly hovering over his daughters in the backyard.

Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.