Saudi Arabia has cut oil and gas production following drone attacks on two major oil facilities run by state-owned company Aramco last week."At 04:00 (01:00 GMT), the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of… drones the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the strikes had reduced crude oil production by 5.7m barrels a day – about half the kingdom’s output. The country produces 10% of the world’s crude oil. Cutting this in half could have a significant effect on the oil price this Monday when markets open. The success of the drone strike shows the vulnerability of the oil infrastructure, and it raises concerns that escalating tensions in the region could pose a broader risk to oil, potentially threatening the fifth of the world’s supply that goes through the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49703143
New program countering fixed wing UAS
In the last several years Guard From Above has seen a shift in the sort of drones that are being used for attacks. Were in the past Quadcopters were being used for short to mid-range attacks deploying explosives in the last year we see a spike in the usage of fixed wing drones for long-range attacks. The incident at the Saudi Aramco sites is a recent example of this threat.
Based on the recent events Guard From Above has decided to start a new training program. This training program will be focused on countering fixed wing UAS by using falcons. We will use our 28 years’ experience in training birds of prey and our other C-UAS program (Training Bald eagles to intercept quadcopters). We will tailor a new training program based on the “new” fixed wing UAS problem.
Falcons can be trained to tip the wings or center mass of a fixed wing UAS and therefore off-balance the UAS causing it to crash before it reaches its target. This is behavior what is being used by falcons in hunting for thousands of years.
Background video and natural behavior in hunting: The Peregrine Falcon & Living Missile
Together with our partners and clients we will tailor a site-specific counter UAS program that will mitigate the UAS threat and protect your assets and interests.
Send us an email with details on your UAS problem and we will be happy to help tailor the right solution for your situation!
