NICOLE SGANGA:
00:00:25
Drones hovering above, for years, local police could see them but not stop them. The game was stopped for administrative timeout.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:00:35
In their last two playoff seasons, the NFL's Baltimore Ravens saw games disrupted by rogue drones flying near M&T Bank Stadium. And in 2023, a swarm of unidentified drones breached skies above Langley Air Force Base, putting the Pentagon on alert. When we had multiple day-after-day drone incursions over Langley, it created huge concern. And it's what got me so focused on this issue because we didn't have the policy in place to take them down. Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand, leading Republican and Democratic voices on drone threats, say the new defense bill, signed into law by President Trump Thursday night, closes a dangerous security gap, creating a pathway to train local law enforcement to disable threatening drones. There aren't enough FBI agents and Homeland Security officers to protect it. So this legislation will empower state and local authorities with training from the federal government to, say, protect the airspace over Razorback Stadium or protect the airspace for a Buffalo Bills game.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:01:39
According to the NFL, since 2017, drone incursions over football games have increased by more than 20,000%, inspiring companies like Defense Solutions. Right now, these drones are accessible to everyone. In order for you to get a drone, all you need is a credit card, an internet connection.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:01:58
CEO Zohar Halachmi gave us an inside look at the sophisticated counter-drone technology. When we see drones, what we actually see, a virus, a virus with wings. And what we actually developed is an antivirus. It's a cyber technique that enables us to detect these drones and penetrate into them.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:02:19
That cyber technique enabling operators, like Themis Samarius, to take remote control of a rogue drone and reroute it safely. As it hits around the 2.5 kilometers, we can take over the drone and actually tell the drone where to land in a safe area.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:02:35
Disabling aircrafts without shooting them down, jamming signals, or tipping off the pilot. So everything that we're doing is invisible to the pilot. The only thing the pilot will see is that he got disconnected from his drone.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:02:50
Lawmakers hope new counter-drone technology also won't tip off the fans. Do you think the public will notice a difference? Hopefully not. Hopefully, they will be blissfully unaware and delighted to be watching the Bills or watching some other great team. When it comes to countering drones, are we at the finish line, or are we at the kickoff?
TOM COTTON:
00:03:08
Maybe the 40-yard line. The administration has six months to get all the training in place and then to help state and local law enforcement to start using the technology to protect large gatherings and critical infrastructure. So I'd say, we're at least moving into field goal territory.
NICOLE SGANGA:
00:03:23
Ahead of the World Cup and Olympics, a small win for the home team, or at least the Homeland Security team. For CBS Saturday Morning,I'm Nicole Sganga in Washington. Sounds like a touchdown, right? That's a touchdown. But I love any bipartisan effort, so that's great. And it's fascinating how they actually take control of the drone to take it down safely. Behind the scenes. Nobody knows. Sounds good. Thank you, Nicole.
