Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events (August Through September 2019)

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events (August through September 2019)

Red Six Solutions, LLC

Volume 1, Number 3 October 18, 2019

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events (August through September 2019)

Red Six Solutions, LLC Washington, D.C.

Cover pictures: Top left – Wreckage of Chine-made Wing Loong II UCAV near Tripoli, Libya, Bottom Left- Crashed military-grade quadcopter with weapons’ drop kit (possibly of Iranian origin) in Southern Syria, Lower Center – Syrian Arab Army soldier inspects handmade militant drone near Tall Rifat, Syria, Right Houthi-Movement Rebel Qasef 2K debris showing DLE 170 engine

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events

ABOUT THIS SURVEY

This Survey was conducted by Red Six Solutions, LLC (Red Six), under a contract with ELTA North America, sponsored by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD (SO/LIC)) Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO). The views, opinions, and findings contained in this document are those of Red Six and should not be interpreted as presenting the official policies or position, either expressed or implied, of the DoD or the sponsoring organization. Citation of manufacturer’s or trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use thereof.

ABOUT CTTSO The CTTSO is chartered by the ASD (SO/LIC) to identify and develop capabilities to combat terrorism and irregular adversaries and to deliver these capabilities to DoD components, Special Operations Forces, international partners, and state, local, and federal agencies through rapid research and development, advanced studies and technical innovation, and provision of support to U.S. military operations. To learn more about CTTSO and its long history of providing mission-critical R&D and rapid operational support to the warfighter and the interagency community, visit www.cttso.gov.

For further information about small UAS and counter-UAS programs please contact: Michael Trexler, CTTSO – Tactical Ops PM (GS-15), ph: (571) 372-7241, email: [email protected] or Pete Hermansen, CTTSO – C-sUAS SME / LE LNO, ph: (520) 850-5222, email: [email protected].

ADDITIONAL UAS REPORTING

Obtain additional research material and site-specific surveys from Red Six Solutions by contacting Dr. Scott T. Crino, CEO, ph: (845) 521-8359, email: [email protected] or Andy Dreby, Director of Red Teaming, ph: (570) 730-9079, email: [email protected]

Contents Introduction ...... 1 Executive Summary ...... 1 Summary of UAS Events by U.S. Combatant Command Areas of Responsibility ...... 3 U.S. Northern Command ...... 10 Item 1 – U.S. Navy Jet Avoids UAS Collision in Florida ...... 11 Item 2 - Drones Drop Drugs into Vancouver Prison ...... 12 Item 3 – UAV Flies over University of Michigan’s “Big House” in Football Season Opener ...... 13 Item 4 – Drone Used to Broadcast False Alarm at College ...... 13 Item 5 – N.C. Woman Tries to Smuggle Phone/Drugs into Virginia Prison ...... 14 Item 6 – N.M. Police Report Close Calls with Drones ...... 15 Item 7 – Pennsylvania Man Uses Drone to Drop Explosives ...... 15 Item 8 - Illegal Immigrant Runs Drug Ring from Prison Using Smuggled Phone ...... 16 Item 9 - Police in Daytona Use Drone to Help End Six Hour Standoff ...... 17 Item 10 - Prisoner Receives Contraband in Prison Exercise Yard ...... 17 U.S. Africa Command ...... 18 Item 11 – LNA UCAVs Strike Multiple Targets in Libya ...... 19 Item 12 – Two Israeli Manufactured Small UAS Shot Down in Libya ...... 20 Item 13 - Turkish Drone Strike Kills Four Civilians in Tripoli ...... 21 Item 14 – Turkish Counter UAS Laser Allegedly Used in Libya ...... 21 Item 15 – Turkish Drone Reportedly Downed in Libya by LNA ...... 25 U.S. Central Command ...... 26 Item 16 – Saudi-Led Coalition Conducts CUAS Operations against Houthi Rebel UCAVs ...... 28 Item 17 – Simultaneous Missile and Suicide Bombing Attacks in Aden, Yemen ...... 30 Item 18 – Syrian Arab Army Shoots Down Militant UAS ...... 31 Item 19 – Russian Airbase in Syria Drops Six Militant UAS ...... 32 Item 20 – Houthi-Movement Rebel Small UAS Crash ...... 33 Item 21 – MQ-9 Reaper Shot Down in Yemen ...... 34 Item 22 – Syrian Militant UAV Wreckage Displayed...... 36 Item 23 – IDF Kills Quds Force Operatives Attempting Drone Strike from Syria ...... 36 Item 24 – Houthi-Movement with Package Crashes in Yemen ...... 38 Item 25 – Two Israeli Large Multirotor UAS Attack Hezbollah Target in Beirut ...... 39 Item 26 – Iran Displays New UAV in Russia ...... 41 Item 27 - ISIS Fratricide by Small UAS Misfire ...... 42

ii Item 28 - Orlan-10 Shot Down Near Hama, Syria ...... 42 Item 29 – Militants Down Iranian Drone in Syria ...... 43 Item 30 – Saudi Army Intercepts Houthi Small UAV ...... 44 Item 31 – Saudi-Led Coalition Intercept Drones Interceptions ...... 45 Item 32 – Russians Intercept UAVs in Syria which Used “Western” Technology ...... 46 Item 33 – Syrian Arab Army Shoots Down Militant UAS ...... 48 Item 34 – Iran Attacks Saudi Arabia with UAVs and Missiles ...... 49 Item 35 – Syria Army Shoots Down Large Quadcopter ...... 51 Item 36 – Pakistan Based Terrorists Use Multirotor UAVs to Smuggle Weapons ...... 52 Item 37 - Hezbollah says it shot down 'Israeli drone' at Lebanon border ...... 53 Item 38 - Iraqi Militia Deter Drone ...... 53 Item 39 - Australian Couple Imprisoned for Flying Drone in Iran ...... 54 Item 40 - Unidentified Drone Flies over Kuwaiti Emir’s House ...... 54 Item 41 - Two Filipino Men Arrested for Flying Drones in Kuwait...... 54 U.S. European Command ...... 56 Item 42 – Multiple UAV Shoot Downs in Ukraine by Russian-Backed Separatists ...... 57 Item 43 – Ukraine Soldier Injured by Drone Grenade Attack ...... 58 Item 44 – OSCE UAV Activities Interfered with in Ukraine ...... 59 Item 45 – Ukraine Forces Attempt to Fly Phantom While Under Fire ...... 60 Item 46 – Extinction Rebellion Splinter Group Faces Jail Time ...... 61 Item 47 - Russian-Backed Rebels Show New, Small Fixed Wing UAS ...... 62 Item 48 – IDF Kills Quds Force Operatives Attempting Drone Strike from Syria ...... 62 Item 49 – Two Israeli Large Multirotor UAS Attack Hezbollah Target in Beirut ...... 64 Item 50 - Russia Deploys Forpost Squadron to Crimea ...... 66 Item 51 – Russian-backed Rebels Down to Ukrainian Drones ...... 66 Item 52 – Gaza Militants Use Drone to Drop IED on HMMWV ...... 67 Item 53 – Man Accused of Plotting Drone Attack on UK Army Base ...... 68 Item 54 – Heathrow Pause Threatens to Shutdown Airport, 19 Arrested ...... 69 Item 55 – Armenian Air Defenses Shoot Down Azerbaijani UAV ...... 70 Item 56 - Georgia Shoots Down Quadcopter on Border ...... 71 Item 57 - Hezbollah says it shot down 'Israeli drone' at Lebanon’s border ...... 71 Item 58 - FBI Aids in Arrest of Terrorist in the Netherlands ...... 72 Item 59 - IDF Drone Falls in Gaza ...... 72 Item 60 - Close Call in London with Drone and Air Ambulance ...... 72 U.S. Indo-Pacific Command ...... 74

iii Item 61 - Indian Army Rashtriya Rifles Soldiers with Netra UAV Kits Bound for Kashmir ...... 74 Item 62 - Taiwanese Exploding Drone ...... 75 Item 63 - Two Arrested for Alleged UAS Spying in India ...... 75 Item 64 – Pakistan Based Terrorists Use Multirotor UAVs to Smuggle Weapons ...... 76 Item 65 - Australian Couple Imprisoned for Flying Drone in Iran ...... 77 FOCUS Areas ...... 78 Most Significant Capabilities ...... 78 Direction of Small UAS ...... 79 Implications for CUAS ...... 80 Protection ...... 81

iv Introduction

This survey provides members of the Military and Law Enforcement communities information concerning the tactical employment of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) around the world. All information contained within the report was derived from publicly available information sources available on the Internet.

The emphasis of the report is on the adversarial and criminal use of small UAS to help inform near term decisions related to designing effective counter UAS systems (CUAS) and developing training plans and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) to defeat them. The reasoning behind the report is the recognition that members of the Military and Law Enforcement communities for any number of reasons are sometimes unable to get relevant, current information about potentially dangerous small UAS activities and trends.

Broadly, the report is divided into four sections. It begins with a summary of the information contained within the report and how the various incidents described within the report correlate to the DoD and Law Enforcement priorities. Next, the main body of the document is organized by areas of responsibility defined for the military’s geographic Combatant Commands. In these subsections, incidents related to UAS and CUAS are reported events that occurred since the previous report, dated 10 August 2019. [Note: Incidents related to Homeland Security are combined in the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) subsection.] The report then provides some preliminary discussion of the events as a whole during this period. The last section is a description of the private sector industry partners with whom CTTSO is working with to develop effective CUAS systems.

As stated, the source information used in this report is all publicly available information obtained via the Internet and various domestic and international news outlets. The information was collected by Red Six Solutions, LLC, which is a Red Team strategic advisory company located in Washington, D.C. For this effort, Red Six Solutions is a subcontractor to ELTA North America from Annapolis Junction, Maryland. ELTA North America is a global leader in the design, manufacture, development, and support of innovative electronic systems spanning ground, maritime, airborne and surveillance needs.

The analysts preparing the information contained herein worked hard to ensure its veracity; however, some of the information sources have reasons to be less than truthful or may exaggerate. Whenever the accuracy of sources is questionable, it is so noted. This report consciously avoids making direct comparisons of adversarial capabilities to friendly CUAS to protect information regarding friendly intentions, capabilities, and activities.

Executive Summary

The use of small UAS for military, terrorist, and criminal activities tends to increase in the summer months. The same tendency is true for non-criminal, drone use recklessness. The warmer weather and longer days translate into improved flying conditions and results in an increased number of reportable UAS incidents. This general observation holds for the number of reportable incidents described in this report. As the table below indicates, the number of incidents reported for the two-months covered by this report is higher than the last report, even though previous reporting period was three-months long. As is the norm, Europe and the Middle East continued to have the most incidents; however, this month also saw an increase in the number of criminal incidents occurring in North America. While events associated with the Yemen Civil War, Libya, and Israel gained the most attention in drone news reporting, there were a number of lesser known events of significance to include the use of large rotary-wing UAS for smuggling weapons in Kashmir and the ongoing attempts by Russian forces in Syria to defend their military bases from attacks from militants using homemade drones.

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Table 1 - Incident Frequency by CCMD: This report (red) vs. previous report (gray)

There are frequent, common, unpinning conditions shared among the non-state actors, state sponsored terrorist organizations and criminal groups that employ small UAS and CUAS. The biggest of these may be freedom of movement within their areas of operation. In most instances where there exists a substantial threat from small UAS, the perpetrators have safe havens. The Russian-backed separatists in the Donbass region of Ukraine, the Houthi Movement rebels of Yemen and the Tahrir al-Sham in Syria have all demonstrated a significant tactical UAS capability and all three operate within territory they control. Their safe havens are a critical resource which provides them room to train and develop proficiency in UAS operations. Importantly, the physical domains of these groups are all contested and they need UAS to see into their enemies’ terrain and to project their combat power there. What has been somewhat unnoticed from these areas is the gradual growth in the use of CUAS. The Russian-backed separatists have access to very good Russian EW systems and the Houthi Movement rebels have successfully used surface-to-air missiles to conduct CUAS operations.

Criminal groups who employ UAS for illicit activities also take advantage of the freedom of action they have within the societies where they operate. Like the violent groups just listed, criminal groups use small UAS to reach areas denied to them. Criminals use small UAS to smuggle product across guarded borders or to carry contraband into prisons. Of course, there are other non-criminal groups improperly using small UAS to achieve their organizational objectives. Environmental and political activist groups who use small UAS in protests are such examples. While these groups’ motivations are entirely different from criminal groups, the UAS operational techniques they employ are similar because they are frequently trying to reach a space or a vantage point, which would otherwise be denied to them.

Developing an overall sense of the risks associated with the malicious use of small UAS is difficult because the majority of the activity occurs overseas in conflict zones where there is often a strong motivation by the actors to maintain secrecy. Domestically, there are some, but extremely limited, sources of UAS information. For instance, data contained in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Tracking, Sign Cutting, and Modeling (TSM) system is available to law enforcement for analysis of reported suspect UAS activity. An open source of information available to analysts is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) quarterly UAS Sightings Report which shows raw data of reported incidents of unauthorized UAS operations in the United States. The last produced FAA quarterly report was for the time period April through June 2019. That report listed 617 suspect UAS incidents, of which forty-six were close calls with aircraft and one was a possible collision (See the table below). Historically, June is the peak month for incident reporting to the FAA, so it is expected that July and August numbers will trend downward from the last report. Note: Additional information from the FAA UAS Sightings Report appears in the Domestic Incidents portion of this survey.

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Table 2 – April thru June Reported FAA UAS Events

This survey provides a review of many of the major UAS and CUAS incidents that happened in the past sixty days. The information is provided to help members of the Military and Law Enforcement communities gain an understanding at the practical level of how small UAS and CUAS are being employed by malicious actors, adversaries and criminal groups today, so that they can be better able to take the necessary actions to be ready for their own encounters with this new and continuously changing challenge. The next section will provide a summary of major incidents which occurred with the DoD Combatant Commands’ Areas of Responsibility. These incidents mostly relate to the use of drones by irregular military forces and terrorists. It should be noted that UAS activities by international criminal organizations is somewhat lacking in this report because of the availability of information, primarily due to such events going unnoticed. The final section will summarize UAS incidents from a Law Enforcement perspective.

Summary of UAS Events by U.S. Combatant Command Areas of Responsibility

Figure 1 - Heatmap of Drone Activity

During the reporting period, there was a wide geographic distribution of events; however, there were also areas of concentrated UAS activity. This heat map (figure 1) reflects the five most significant areas of UAS activity:

1. Tripoli - The two major factions fighting to control Libya are the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) Both the LNA and GNA extensively used UAS in their fighting, especially in and around Tripoli. This period of reporting saw an increase in incidents of medium-altitude long-endurance drones with the LNA employing Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones provided by the U.A.E. to attack GNA airfields and the GNA being supported by Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones.

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2. Donbass Region – In Europe, the number of drone incidents appeared consistent with previous reporting periods. In the Donbass Region, UAS play an important role in fighting between Ukraine and Russian-backed insurgents in the Donbas Region. Both the Ukraine Joint Forces Operation and the Russian-backed militants extensively use small multirotor UAVs to provide aerial observation for indirect fires. 3. Levant – There was an increased level of drone activity throughout the Levant. In Israel, Palestinian militants used a multirotor UAV to drop an IED which damaged an IDF armored vehicle. Israel used drones flown from gunboats in the Mediterranean Sea to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. In Syria, militants aligned with the Al Nusra Front used custom made drones to repeatedly attack Russian air assets based at Khmeimim Airfield near Latakia. 4. Arabian Peninsula – On 14 September, Iran launched a large-scale attack against oil fields and a refinery in Saudi Arabia. Throughout the month, Houthi-Movement rebels used their advanced UAS technology capabilities to conduct operational level strikes against Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Open source reporting reflects there were approximately twenty-two occasions when Houthi-Movement rebels used large UAVs (e.g. Qasef 2K and Samad) to attack Saudi Arabia. 5. Kashmir – The most significant incident in South Asia was when Punjab police in India discovered a terrorist ring which was using two, large multirotor UAS to transport weapons and explosives into India from Pakistan ostensibly for future terror attacks Kashmir.

This survey presents the UAS incidents in the report by the geographic area in which they occurred, according to the geographic areas of responsibility delineated among the Unified Combatant Commands; however, UAS incidents frequently occur in places that straddle the political boundaries established by law. This is especially true in the Middle East and Central Asia where any single event might affect multiple combinations of the U.S. European, Central, Africa, and Indo-Pacific Commands, as well as the U.S. Special Operations Command. The table below shows high impact UAS incidents covered in this report and indicates instances where UAS events occurred which effected multiple combatant commands.

Table 3 – High Significance Events by CCMD

The degree of technical and operational expertise and the volume of incidents of the tactical employment of UAS by non-state actors and state sponsored terrorists vary widely among the Combatant Command’s areas of responsibility. The European and Central Commands experienced the most incidents. The following paragraphs

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summarize the most significant elements of the employment of adversarial tactical UAS with respect to each geographically aligned Combatant Command.

U.S. Northern Command: Within the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility, there were notable incidents related to criminal attacks, prison smuggling, and malicious UAS flight operations. On 18 September, a Pennsylvania man was charged in court with using a drone to repeatedly detonate small explosive devices over the property of his ex-girlfriend. There are four separate incidents where individuals used drones to smuggle drugs into prisons (1 ea. in Vancouver, 2 ea. in Ohio, and 1 ea. in North Carolina). The smuggling of cell phones into prisons is troubling because it enables convicted criminals to continue organized crime activities, while serving their sentences.

Table 4 – Breakdown of Criminal Drone Use Described in the Report

Also, in the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility were multiple incidents of malicious operators interfering with official government activities or flying in restricted airspace. A drone operator in Florida interfered with the landing of a U.S. Navy jet (See Item 1) and law enforcement officers in New Mexico reported incidents of drones interfering with air ambulance operations (See Item 6). In Utah, pranksters used a drone to broadcast fake evacuation announcements at a college near Salt Lake City.

U.S. Africa Command: There was a significant amount of open source reporting in North Africa. As in the previous two reports, all of the incidents for Africa relate to the current fight going on in and around Tripoli between the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar and the U.N. backed Government of National Accord. While there is an arms embargo, which is supposed to stop military weapons from reaching Libya, both sides have acquired considerable UAS assets to include Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles, such as the Chinese Wing Loong by the LNA and the Turkish Bayraktar TBw2 by the GNA. From reporting, it appears the LNA is making it a priority to attack facilities which support Bayraktar TB2 operations (See Item 11) and to destroy TB2 aircraft (See Item 14). Previous reports have shown Russian and U.A.E. drones being used by the LNA for reconnaissance and surveillance. This report describes two incidents where Israeli-made Orbiter 3 surveillance drones belonging to the GNA where shot down. It is believed the GNA received the Orbiters from Turkey.

U.S. Central Command: The 14 September largescale drone attack by Iran on Saudi Arabia was the most significant UAV incident of the reporting period. While the attack revealed a gap in the Saudi-led Coalition’s air defense, its effects were temporary. Over the past year the Saudi-led Coalition’s air defenses, with some notable exceptions, has been largely successful in defeating drone attacks by the Houthi-Movement rebels. To a degree this explains why the Iranians were forced to launch the attack from their territory. Another significant event over the Arabian Peninsula occurred on 20 August, when the Houthis intercepted an MQ-9 Reaper UAV, again with Iranian help using a surface-to-air missile (See Item 21). In Syria, there was continued use of crudely built fixed wing UAS by anti-Syrian Government forces, particularly in and around the Russian Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia in

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Western Syria. These attacks continued after the dislodgement of ISIS and are emanating from areas under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other former elements of the al-Nusra Front (See Items 19, 22 and 32).

U.S. European Command: The Donbass Region of the Ukraine continues as the most compelling region with regard to UAS incidents in the USEUCOM area of responsibility. There, the composition of UAS/CUAS environment appears to be changing. Over the past few months there has been a lessening of reports of small CoTS UAS shootdowns, especially quadcopters. Additionally, the Special Military Mission for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe reported increased activity by Russian elements conducting Counter UAS operations inside Ukraine in areas claimed by Russian-backed separatists (See Item 59). The trend in the region appears to be toward larger, more sophisticated UAS and a corresponding deployment of more robust counter UAS systems. In Israel, militants operating from Gaza were able to deliver an IED against an Israeli tank (See Item 29). While the effect of the weapon on an armor system was less than negligible, it was media success for the perpetrators. It also shows how difficult it is for land forces to maintain awareness of aerial threats.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command: For this survey, there were fewer UAS reported activities in USINDOPACOM than in the previous survey. Then, the principle focus of tactical small UAS activity for USINDOPACOM was the Line-of-Control (LoC) dividing the Kashmir region between the countries of India and Pakistan. Those UAS events occurred in the immediate aftermath of the suicide, vehicle bomb attack in January by the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed which killed forty-four members of the Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir. During the period, both the Indian and Pakistani militaries used Groups 1, 2 and 3 UAS to conduct ISR operations to learn about the other’s troop dispositions and movements. In this survey, UAS incidents in the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility were primarily associated with the international sale and use of Chinese manufactured UAS.

U.S. Southern Command: There were no significant UAS incidents during this reporting cycle within USSOUTHOCOM area of responsibility. The assassination attempt of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, in August 2018 was the last major incident. That incident is an example of the potential for weaponized small UAS to create outsized strategic effects. The attack included the use of two weaponized small UAS. Had the attack succeeded, it would most certainly have changed the political trajectory of Venezuela and greatly affected a variety of aspects of the regional political environment. Red Six’s assessment is that this region could become active very quickly. Given the speed at which proven tactics, techniques and technologies migrate from one region to another, combined with the wide availability of commercial UAS and training resources, potential use of UAS by paramilitary, terrorist and criminal organizations in South and Central America should not be ignored. Moreover, drug cartels operating in the USNORTHCOM AOR have affiliations with transnational criminal organizations throughout the hemisphere and could readily share their UAS knowledge and lessons learned with others.

Domestic Incidents

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reporting

According to the FAA, there are almost 1.1 million registered recreational drones in the United States. The FAA expects this number to more than double to 2.4 million by the year 2024. While that is a lot of growth, the commercial market is growing even faster. In 2017, the FAA counted there were 110,604 registered commercial drones in the United States and it expect they number to grow 451,800 in 2022. As of this month, the number of commercial registered drones was already at 406,477. At this rate, commercial drones could reach 1.6 million by 2022.

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Figure 2 - Recreation vs. Commercial Drone Users (Source FAA 30 September 2019)

The FAA tracks reports of sightings of possible unauthorized UAS operations and reports this data at its website: https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/public_records/uas_sightings_report/. The report includes sightings from pilots, the public and law enforcement. An egregious example of unauthorized UAS operations is the pilot who interfered with aerial firefighting operations this month at the National Museum of Wildlife Art near Flagstaff, Arizona (See Item 11). The FAA now receives more than 100 such reports each month. Red Six examined the data in the FAA report from the last five quarters. The chart below shows graphically the cumulative sightings per state during that period (April 2018 – June 2019) (See Table 3 below).

Table 3 - Cumulative Domestic UAS Sightings

When the data is reviewed from month to month, it shows a definite increase in sightings during the warmer months with a peak happening in the June and July months (See Table 4 below). The color code in the chart shows the number of no-conflict incidents in blue, close calls in orange, and collisions in red. [Note: In the last month of reporting there was one incident listed, as a possible collision.] The FAA reports there has been an increase in UAS sightings over the past two years but the last quarter’s data suggests that trend may be improving. There were fifty-nine fewer incidents overall during the most recent quarter than there were during the same quarter last year. That said, there was a marked increase in close calls with a rise from twenty-seven to forty-six close calls between the two quarters. Regarding the possible collision: On June 25, 2019, at Boulder, Colorado FAA Operations received preliminary information that the pilot of a Piper Cub reporting a possible mid-air collision with a UAS. The

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pilot did not feel the impact but upon landing, he discovered minor damage to his left wing without evidence of bird remains.

Table 4 – Incident Reporting from Month-to-Month

Relationship of Incidents to Law Enforcement

While the number of significant, domestic UAS events are fewer than other regions of the world, the United States still faces the same degree of risk from unmanned systems because of the availability of UAS technology to groups and actors who are hostile to the United States. As such, overseas UAS events are instructive to preparations for Law Enforcement. For example, the incident in Punjab, India, where police recovered two drones being used to smuggle weapons and explosives from terrorists in Pakistan is an example of how terrorist organizations might use drones to move equipment into protected facilities and compounds.

The table below shows UAS incidents, including those in the United States, during the reporting period with high implications to the Law Enforcement community, to include assassinations and attempts, smuggling operations, criminal activism, and events where post-event forensics revealed information about the perpetrators designs or capabilities.

Table 5 – UAS Incidents with High Law Enforcement Relevance 8

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In the following section, the UAS incidents which were reported during the last sixty-days are presented. These incidents are organized geographically according to the areas of responsibilities (AOR) assigned to the Unified Combatant Commands. Some of the incidents are reported twice. Incidents which are reported twice are those which have a shared interest between to commands. For instance, on 25 August, when the Israel Defense Force used two large multirotor UAVs to attack a facility in Beirut, which was suspected of being used to produce manufacturing solid-fuel for missiles (See Item 12), the incident would be of interest to USEUCOM because Israel is in its AOR and USCENTCOM because Lebanon is in its AOR. Showing the incident in both sections will allow users of the report’s information to pullout a single section without losing important information.

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U.S. Northern Command

Summary of UAS Activities in the USNORTHCOM Area of Responsibility

A challenge of developing and implementing counter UAS solutions within the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility and the United States proper is the broad range of risks that must be considered. Organizations working to protect North America against threatening and malicious UAS must consider everything to include criminal acts, transnational criminal organization, radical violent extremists, and terrorists, not to mention the risks associated with reckless drone operators. The incidents recounted in this report describe the possible use of small UAS to enable cross border illicit trafficking, contraband smuggling, extreme activism, and rogue behavior.

Over the course of the last two reporting periods, Red Six noted fifteen significant incidents (See the figure below). All the incidents summarized in this report were related to criminal activity or reckless behavior; however, in the previous report there were two incident involving narcotics smuggling along the border with Mexico: Tucson, AZ (Item 3) and McAllen, TX (Item 7).

Figure 3 - Incident Locations for Previous Two Reports

U.S. Southern Border

It is difficult to appraise the risks associated with small UAS along the southern border of the United States because of the limited amount of counter drone surveillance capacity covering the area. Along the United States southern border with Mexico there are few assets available to detect UAS activity and at present, the priority of handling the influx of immigrants and asylum seekers from Central America makes it impossible for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or other DHS components to put emphasis on UAS activity. On June 9, 2019, a news article showed a DJI Mavic was allegedly discovered on the border near La Grulla, Texas, west of the city of McAllen (See Item 7). While the circumstance of this incident cannot be verified, it echoes the April 19, 2019, report by CBP which showed imagery of a small UAS being used for surveillance, possibly by cartels, near El Paso.

Drug cartels are known to use small UAS to support their illicit activities. These criminal organizations certainly have the financial means at their disposal to purchase low-cost, consumer UAS on the Internet. Products such as the DJI Mavic give cartels the ability to conduct route reconnaissance during trafficking operations and surveillance of law enforcement. The cameras on small UAS also enable improved command and control of ongoing operations. For example, a cartel team conducting illicit human trafficking can use small UAS to monitor the progress of groups of people moving along difficult terrain to enable them to avoid bottlenecks. There are no reported incidents of cartels using small UAS to counter law enforcement operations; however, there have been unsubstantiated reports of cartels using small UAS as observation aircraft in their street fights against one another.

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Criminal Activity

This report provides a follow-up to two previous incidents of criminals using small UAS to attempt to smuggle contraband into prisons. Robert Kinser, a former inmate at the Lincoln Correctional Center in Nebraska, was charged with attempting to use a small UAS to smuggle marijuana, cigarettes and rolling papers into a Nebraska prison (See Item 6). And, Eric Lee Brown, of Lithonia, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a single count of operating an aircraft eligible for registration knowing that the aircraft is not registered to facilitate the illicit smuggling of marijuana and methamphetamines into the Autry State Prison (See Item 11). In the case of Kinser, he actually landed his DJI Phantom inside the prison but it is unknown from the reporting whether this was his intent or an accident. Regardless, the incident demonstrates how a relative novice could fly a commercial aircraft onto a protected facility to deliver material.

As explained earlier in this report, there has been an increase in reporting of close calls between aircraft and UAS reported to the FAA. For the last reporting period (2nd Qtr. 2019), the number of close calls has increased from twenty-seven incidents to forty-six when compared to the same quarter last year. The stories this month, of reckless UAV operators near miss with a U.S. Navy jet in Miami (See Item 1) and with air ambulance operations in Albuquerque (See Item 6) illustrate how improper UAS piloting can significantly impact safety and rescue operations (See Item 10).

Radical Violent Extremists

Finally, the British activist group Extinction Rebellion’s and Heathrow Pause’s threats to close down Heathrow Airport in London using drones again (See Items 46 and 54), demonstrates the potential risk to the operations of the transportation industry from radical violent extremist groups (See Item 4). The threat of legal action apparently persuaded Extinction Rebellion to quit their plans. While this incident occurred in the United Kingdom, it is representative of the types of malicious UAS activities that could interfere with major transportation networks and public venues. In December 2018, the Gatwick Airport Incident, in which concerns about drone sightings shutdown the airport for three days, shows the potential for these incidents to cause trouble. A major challenge for these types of events is getting a definitive “all clear” about the threat. In the recent past there has been multiple incidents of supposed UAS sightings shutting down major airports, such as Newark (January 19), Frankfurt (May 2019), and Singapore (June 2019) (See Item 8). In none of these incidents was a UAS ever recovered; however, decision makers at the airports probably had little to no information to help them know whether there were drones in the air. While not foolproof, sensors dedicated to detecting small UAS might have helped with the decision processes. ______UAS Incident Reports for USNORTHCOM

Item 1 – U.S. Navy Jet Avoids UAS Collision in Florida

Date: 1 August 2019

Summary: The pilot of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet was forced into taking evasive maneuvers when an unidentified drone entered restricted airspace over the Boca Chica Bridge in the Keys. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident. The pilot saw the drone flying at about 800 feet as he prepared to make a landing. A spokesperson for the Sherriff’s Office said the presence of the UAV forced air controllers to switch runways.

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Figure 4 - F/A 18 Super Hornet (Stars and Stripes)

Discussion: FAA reports of close calls between manned aircraft and UAS increase in the summer months. In June 2019, the last month of available data, the FAA reported close to 300 such incidents with one near collision. Operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.

Geolocation: North America (Miami, Florida) Importance: High

Source: Miami Herald, Navy jet pilot’s landing was interrupted by a drone, 31 July 2019, https://amp-miamiherald- com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article233355457.html [1 August 2109] ______Item 2 - Drones Drop Drugs into Vancouver Prison

Date: 27 August 2019

Summary: Correctional officers at Kingston's Collins Bay Institution recovered two packages of contraband. One was inside the perimeter of the prison and the other just outside of it. The first package reportedly contained 43.1 grams of tobacco and 109.7 grams of marijuana. Officials estimated value of the tobacco and drugs inside the prison at $12,000.

Discussion: This is the first of four incidents in this report related to smuggling contraband into prisons (See also Items no. Figure 5 - Kingston's Collins Bay Institution, 5, 8, and 100). This is the second recent, reported incident from Vancouver, Canada the Collins Bay Institution. In April, authorities recovered $86,000 in drugs and cell phones. The incidents highlight the potential vulnerability of prisons to illicit trafficking.

Geolocation: North America (Vancouver, Canada) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. Global News, Drone, $86K in drugs and cellphones seized at B.C. maximum-security prison, 3 April 2019, https://globalnews.ca/news/5127795/drone-drugs-seized-bc-prison/ [28 September 2019]

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2. Global News, $28K worth of contraband reportedly seized at Collins Bay Institution, 27 August 2019, https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/28k-worth-of-contraband-reportedly-seized-at-collins-bay- institution-in-kingston/ar-AAGpxzW [28 September 2019] ______

Item 3 – UAV Flies over University of Michigan’s “Big House” in Football Season Opener

Date: 5 September 2019

Summary: Football fans in Ann Arbor watching the Wolverines play Middle Tennessee State saw a drone fly over the “Big House” just before 10:30 p.m. during the third quarter of the game. The University of Michigan Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton said two people were arrested and charged with a Federal Aviation Administration violation and a misdemeanor ordinance violation.

Discussion: Drone use over the campus is prohibited without a waiver, according to the University’s UAS policy. Drones are prohibited Figure 6 - Univ. of Michigan Stadium (WDTV) within 3 miles of the stadium or venue.

Geolocation: North America (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Importance: Moderate

Source: All about Ann Arbor, Two Arrested for Flying Drone over Big House, 5 September 2019, https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/ann-arbor-crime/drone-flown-over-the-big-house-in-ann-arbor- during-season-opener-2-arrested?utm_source=facebook&utm [28 September 2019] ______

Item 4 – Drone Used to Broadcast False Alarm at College

Date: 9 September 2019

Summary: A drone equipped with a speaker broadcast a fake evacuation notice in Davis Technical College in Kaysville, Utah. Fire officials said, they would never make an announcement that way. The Kaysville Fire Department posted a notice about the issue Monday, saying the drone was spotted near the college and the false evacuation notice purported to be from local police.

Figure 7 –DJI Mavic 2 (left) and Enterprise Speaker (right)

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Discussion: News coverage of the incident at Kaysville did not indicate the type of UAV used but it relatively easy to configure a drone with a loudspeaker. The DJI Mavic 2 even has a kit which sells for approximately $100 and has a range of approximately 30 m. Larger, more expensive speaker kits with handheld radios, such as the Sky Speaker-I Megaphone, have advertised ranges approaching 1 km. The systems are advertised as a means to communicate to crowds in an emergency or to provide instructions to people during rescue operations. In this instance, the speaker was used to disseminate misinformation.

Geolocation: North America (Kaysville, Utah) Importance: Moderate

Source: Fox13 Salt Lake City, Fire department responds after drone broadcast fake evacuation notice, 9 September 2019, https://fox13now.com/2019/09/09/drone-delivers-fake-evacuation-notice-near-utah-campus/ [28 September 2019] ______

Item 5 – N.C. Woman Tries to Smuggle Phone/Drugs into Virginia Prison

Date: 10 September 2019

Summary: In Virginia, state troopers discovered a UAV on a roadside nearby the Buckingham Correctional Center which is located between Lynchburg and Richmond. The troopers noticed the aircraft was still warm and had been flown recently. Attached to the drone, was a package wrapped in camouflaged duct tape with marijuana, cocaine and a cellphone inside.

Figure 8 – Buckingham Correctional Facility, Dillwyn, VA

Discussion: Drones are used frequently to attempt to deliver contraband into prisons (See also Items no. 1, 7, and 8 for related incidents). Cell phones are of particular value to criminals because they enable them to continue to conduct their illicit activities, while they are incarcerated. In this incident, investigators used GPS data stored in the drone’s SD memory card to determine the aircraft was flown before in Pineville, N.C. With training, there is a significant amount of information investigators and analysts can retrieve for the data stored on an aircraft’s memory card, which can be exploited for its forensic and intelligence value. Troopers were also able to determine the drone was sold on eBay and the seller shipped it to the same address. On 5 September 2019, Pineville police searched the apartment and found 19 cellphones but made no immediate arrests.

Geolocation: North America (Pineville, NC) Importance: Moderate

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Source: WSOCTV, Pineville woman tries to use drone to deliver drugs to prison, warrant says, 10 September 2019, https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/pineville-woman-tries-to-use-drone-to-deliver-drugs-to-prison-warrant- says/984528371 [30 September 2019] ______

Item 6 – N.M. Police Report Close Calls with Drones

Date: 10 September 2019

Summary: The Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) Air Support Unit, reported there had been nearly two dozen close calls between UAVs and aircraft in New Mexico over the past two years.

Figure 9 – Albuquerque Police Department’s Air One Discussion: The unauthorized use of drones is a major concern of law enforcement and first responders. A Red Six check of UAS events reported to the FAA reflect nine incidents in New Mexico in the first six months of this year which was consistent with the APD’s assessment of the situation. The APD described an incident in 2017 when an unauthorized drone grounded firefighting crews trying to battle the Bonita and Cajete fires. That incident mirrored a 24 June 2019 event in Flagstaff, Arizona, when a small, unidentified UAV interrupted efforts to contain the Museum Fire which was burning across 2,000 acres of wilderness.

Geolocation: North America (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Importance: Moderate

Source: KRQE News, New Mexico pilots report close calls with drones, 10 September 2019, https://www.krqe.com/news/investigations/new-mexico-pilots-report-close-calls-with-drones/ [28 September 2019] ______

Item 7 – Pennsylvania Man Uses Drone to Drop Explosives

Date: 17 September 2019

Summary: A Pennsylvania man allegedly used a drone on multiple occasions to detonate explosive charges over the home of his ex-girlfriend.

Figure 10 – The long streaks in a CCTV security camera show debris from explosive device used in incident (WFMZ) 15

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Discussion: The incident shows how a person with malicious intent can easily modify a commercial UAV to conduct attacks against targets with explosive weapons. In this event, Jason Muzzicato allegedly used the drone on multiple occasions to detonate explosive devices over the home of his ex-girlfriend. According to a neighbor the devices showered nails onto his property. Additionally, explosive devices were discovered in the neighborhood in April, May, and June and an estimated eight explosions occurred in which authorities were unable to find a device afterwards. Muzzicato was arrested and has been in custody for weapons charges since June.

Figure 11 - Blasting caps confiscated during raid a Muzzicato's business (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

A search of his home found ten guns and seven explosive devices (source 2). Court records also said residents in the area complained that someone had been vandalizing vehicles and causing road hazards by dropping nails and fluids on area streets. An examination of Muzzicato’s vehicle showed it had been modified with dashboard switches to operate devices that could release nails, ball bearings and fluids, including paint thinner, that could damage vehicles, court records said.

Geolocation: North America (Washington Township, PA) Importance: High

Sources: 1. WFMZ News, Prosecutors say Northampton County man dropped explosive devices from drone, 17 September 2019, https://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/prosecutors-say-northampton-county-man- dropped-explosive-devices-from-drone/1122086873 [28 September 2019] 2. The Morning Call, Accused Slate Belt bomb-maker used drone to drop explosives on ex-girlfriend’s home, 17 September 2019, https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-accused-bangor-bomber-used-drone- drop-explosives-20190917-kj5kr75acjdxxc2jin5yhjniy4-story.html [30 September 2019] ______Item 8 - Illegal Immigrant Runs Drug Ring from Prison Using Smuggled Phone

Date: 16 September 2019

Summary: According to authorities, an illegal Mexican immigrant ran a huge drug-smuggling ring from an Ohio jail using a cellphone that was dropped into the prison by a drone (See also Items no. 1, 11, and 21j for related incidents). Jose Lozano-Leon led his gang from the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, where he was serving 18 months for illegal re-entry into the US after being deported in 2017. Lozano-Leon was allegedly the boss of at least nine gang members who helped ship fentanyl stamped into pills, heroin and cocaine from Mexico.

Geolocation: North America (Cleveland, Ohio) Importance: High

Source: New York Post, Illegal immigrant ran huge drug-smuggling ring from jail: authorities, 16 September 2019, https://nypost.com/2019/09/16/illegal-immigrant-ran-huge-drug-smuggling-ring-from-jail-authorities/ [28 September 2019]

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______

Item 9 - Police in Daytona Use Drone to Help End Six Hour Standoff

Date: 22 September 2019

Summary: Daytona Beach police were able to peacefully end a standoff with a man suspected of having a grenade in his room. Police arrested David Allen of Atlantic City, N.J., who had barricaded himself in his hotel room and said he had a grenade. Officers used a drone to look into the man’s hotel room and determined it was a dummy grenade.

Figure 12 - Daytona police arrest suspect

Geolocation: North America (Daytona Beach, FL) Importance: Moderate

Source: Fox 35 Orlando, Police Use Drone to End Standoff, 22 September 2019,

http://www.fox35orlando.com/home/police-use-drone-to-help-end-six-hour-standoff-peacefully [29 September 2019] ______

Item 10 - Prisoner Receives Contraband in Prison Exercise Yard

Date: 26 September 2019

Summary: Surveillance footage released by Cuyahoga County showed an inmate in a county jail receives a cell phone and marijuana that was dropped by a drone. In the video, a man is seen in a courtyard playing cornhole with inmates before catching the contraband in a shirt.

Figure 13 - Inmate catches drugs and a phone dropped from drone

Geolocation: North America (Cleveland, Ohio) Importance: Moderate

Source: CNN, A drone was caught on camera delivering contraband to an Ohio prison yard, 26 September 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/us/contraband-delivered-by-drone-trnd/index.html [29 September 2019] ______

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U.S. Africa Command

Summary of UAS Activities in the USAFRICOM Area of Responsibility

This month, there was continued, sustained drone incident reporting of open source incidents from Africa. As in the last report, all of the incidents for Africa in this report relate to the current fight going in and around Tripoli between the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar and the U.N. backed Government of National Accord. In this fight, General Haftar, who controls Eastern Libya, is attempting to dislodge the GNA from Tripoli. While the U.N. backs the GNA, various countries are backing the two sides for differing political and commercial reasons. Behind Haftar to varying degrees are Russia, Egypt, and the U.A.E. The main UAS supporter of the GNA is Turkey. While there is an arms embargo that is supposed to stop military weapons from reaching Libya, both sides have acquired considerable UAS assets to include large Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles, such as the Chinese Wing Loong II by the LNA and the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 by the GNA. The range of UAS being employed by the LNA and GNA against one another range from these large UCAV to small reconnaissance aircraft.

In early August, the LNA recovered two Israeli-made Orbiter-3 tactical reconnaissance drones (See Item 12). While the Orbiters were of Israeli origin, they were probably provided to the LNA by Turkey. At the end of the reporting period, the GNA shot down a Chinese-made YFT-CZ35 VTOL flying over Tarhunah, approximately 65 kms southeast of Tripoli.

Figure 14 - Photo of Chinese-made YFT-CZ35 VTOL downed in Libya (30 September 2020)

The presence of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs remain a significant development. The Turkish military has used the Bayraktar extensively in Eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq against Kurdish elements, which Turkey has declared to be terrorists, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey began using Bayraktars to target high value PKK targets in 2016. On 15 August 2019, Turkish land forces used a Bayraktar to kill PKK leader, İsmail Özden. From an LNA perspective, the Bayraktar could represent a very serious threat to its military leaders conducting operations near Tripoli. On 13 September 2019, the LNA claimed to have destroyed a Bayraktar near Al-Jufra airbase in central Libya; however, there was now visual evidence provided. It will likely be a priority of the LNA to find effective means to either defeat or reduce the efficacy of Bayraktars operating in Libya.

The GNA has likewise made destroying the LNAs Wing Loong UCAVs a priority. The LNA destroyed one on 3 August 2019 but using other Wing Loong aircraft, the GNA continued to strike LNA targets on at least four other occasions (See Item 11). In a twist, news reports originating in Turkey suggested the downed Wing Loong was destroyed by a Turkish laser CUAS system (See Item 14). There was no independent confirmation of this event. ______UAS Incident Reports for USAFRICOM

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Item 11 – LNA UCAVs Strike Multiple Targets in Libya

Date: 2, 4, 5, 6, and 16 August 2019

Summary: Throughout August, the Libyan National Army (LNA) conducted multiple attacks against the Government of National Accord (GNA) throughout the country. The LNA is led by Khalifa Haftar; it is fighting the GNA for control of Libya. The LNA is currently conducting an offensive against the LNA which it has encircled in Tripoli and Misrata. The LNA is supported by Egypt, the U.A.E., and Russia, while the GNA receives support from Turkey. LNA air assets include the Chinese manufactured Wing Loong Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). A summary of known LNA airstrikes are, as follows:

• 2 August, several airstrikes on GNA-aligned forces which were allegedly preparing to launch an assault on the LNA-controlled Al-Jufra airbase, 300 mi southeast of Tripoli (source 1). • 3 and 4 August, LNA aircraft conducted multiple attacks against Tripoli’s Mitiga airport (source 1). Also, on 3 August, the GNA reported it shot down an LNA Wing Loong (See Item 14 this report). • 4 August, an LNA attack in southern Libya killed at least 42 people injured 60 more in an attack against a town hall meeting of local leaders. • 6 August, an LNA UCAV destroyed a cargo aircraft allegedly being used by Turkey to deliver weapons, parts and supplies to support Turkish Bayraktar UCAVs which fly in support of the GNA (source 2). • 18 August, LNA UCAV conducted approximately eleven attacks on maintenance and storage facilities at Misurata Air College which the LNA believed were being used by the GNA for the Turkish Bayraktar aircraft (source 3).

Figure 15 – Photo of Cargo Aircraft Burning at Misurata Air College (6 August 2019)

Discussion: The pattern of the LNA UCAV strikes suggest they happen in coordination with the development of intelligence about GNA operations and activities. All the attacks listed were against important targets and the timing indicates they were planned in advance, as opposed to being targets of opportunity. The attacks against the cargo aircraft and warehouse facilities supporting Turkish Bayraktar UCAV operations reflect the priority of these targets to the LNA.

Geolocation: Africa (Misrata, Libya) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Eye on Libya, LNA reports airstrikes on GNA, 7 August 2019 https://eyeonisisinlibya.com/the-anti-isis- coalition/31-jul-6-aug-lna-airstrikes-hit-misrata-murzuq-and-mitiga/ [6 August 2019]

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2. Al Marsad, Cargo aircraft destroyed by LNA, 6 August 2019, https://almarsad.co/en/2019/08/06/the-cargo- aircraft-destroyed-by-lna-air-force-in-misrata-was-delivering-weapons-and-missiles-to-turkish-drones/ [6 August 2019] 3. Libya 360, LNA conducts eleven precise airstrikes, 18 August 2019, https://libya360.wordpress.com/2019/08/18/in-the-last-24-hours-lna-conducts-11-precise-airstrikes- targeting-misrata-air-college/ [20 August 2019] ______Item 12 – Two Israeli Manufactured Small UAS Shot Down in Libya

Date: 7 August 2019

Summary: Two Israeli-made Orbiter-3 tactical drones were shot down in Libya by troops allied with strongman Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA). The incidents occurred sometime around July 29. The LNA claimed it was a Turkish UAV.

Figure 16 – Images of Israeli Orbiter-3 UAVs shot down in Libya

Discussion: One of the two aircraft was recovered by the LNA 40 km. southwest of the Libyan capital of Tripoli in the small town of al-Aziziya, while the other was recovered in the Sidra district near the coast. Red Six initially assessed the aircraft as a Russian made Zala 421-16E but the aircraft is an Orbiter-3. It is believed the aircraft were given to the Government of National Accord by Turkey. The aircraft is made by Aeronautics of Israel. At the company’s website, the aircraft is described as a small, tactical UAS designed to operate with, and support higher tactical echelons, providing intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance.

Geolocation: Africa (Tripoli, Libya) Importance: High

Source: Jerusalem Post, Israeli drones shot down in Libya, 7 August 2019, https://www.jpost.com/Israel- News/Israeli-made-drones-shot-down-in-Libya-597942 [7 August 2019] ______

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Item 13 - Turkish Drone Strike Kills Four Civilians in Tripoli

Date: 27 August 2019

Summary: The Libyan National Army (LNA) which is fighting the U.N. backed Government of National Accord in Libya reported four workers were killed in the city of al-Asbiah after the warehouse where they worked was targeted by a Turkish Bayraktar UCAV. Al-Asbiah is approximately 120 kilometers southeast of Tripoli.

Figure 17 – Image of Turkish Bayraktar Overflying Tripoli in June 2019

Geolocation: Africa (Al-Asbiah, Libya) Importance: Moderate

Sources: Hawar News Agency, Turkish drones kill 4 civilians in Tripoli, 28 August 2019, https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/turkish-drones-kill-4-civilians-in-tripoli-libya-h11112.html [10 October 2019] ______

Item 14 – Turkish Counter UAS Laser Allegedly Used in Libya

Date: 16 August 2019

Summary

On 16 August 2019, a video was posted on the YouTube news channel, Defense and Security Web TV, which reported Turkish forces in Libya and used a laser weapon on 3 August 2019, to bring down a Chinese-made Wing Loong UAV (source 1). The incident happened near Tripoli where the forces aligned with the U.N. backed Government of National Accord (GNA) are fighting against the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) which is led by Khalifa Haftar. In this fight, Turkey is aligned with the U.N. backed GNA, while Russia, Egypt and the U.A.E. are aligned with the LNA.

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Figure 18 - GNA Soldier Near Wreckage of Chinese-made Wing Loong and Wide Angel View of Same

When the shoot down happened on 3 August, there was no reporting of how the GNA had defeated the aircraft. Then, the aircraft was reportedly defeated by elements of the GNA (source 12). The news story about the laser weapon on YouTube was also reported on the Defense and Security Web TV’s website, ArmyRecongnition.com (source 3). The website article is essentially a transcript of the YouTube video. There were other news reports of the laser weapon being used in the incident but their information all appeared derived from the ArmyRecognition.com article. Turkey is known to be developing a ground based laser weapon for counter UAS, as is the United States, and other nations with advanced military technology capability to include Germany, Russia, China and Israel. Red Six cannot verify with any confidence a Turkish laser weapon was used to defeat the aircraft. An incident, wherein a mobile, ground based laser defeated an UAS in an operational environment, would constitute a significant capability development for counter UAS systems.

Background

There is currently an internationally mandated arms embargo for Libya; however, both the GNA and LNA have obtained the support of Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles in their fight against one another. The GNA uses the Turkish Bayraktar 2 (TB2) tactical UCAV which is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV used from reconnaissance, surveillance, and ground. The LNA uses Chinese-made Wing Loong MALE UAV, most likely provided by the U.A.E. The Wing Loong performs the same functional missions as the Turkish TB2. These UCAV platforms are powerful combat multipliers because they enable the GNA and LNA to conduct precision strikes against high value targets, such as critical infrastructure (e.g. command centers) and senior military leaders.

The fighting in Libya is currently centered in the western part of the country in and around Tripoli where the GNA is encircled by the GNA in what is, essentially, a linear battlefield. For the contestants, these UCAV enable them to strike targets at an operational depth. Pictures of the downed Wing Loong showed two HJ-10 missiles among the wreckage. The HJ-10 is a non-line-of-sight anti-helicopter / anti-tank missiles produced in China (source 4). indicated the aircraft was prepared to conduct attacks against ground targets.

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Figure 19 - HJ-10 Anti-tank/Anti-helicopter Missile (source 5)

Laser Weapon

Much of the video in the YouTube article appears to be from the Turkish government’s defense exhibition IDEF ’19 which was happening when the story was posted (source 6). The vehicle shown in the video is a Turkish 4x4 Cobra, wheeled armored vehicle (see below). The video indicates the vehicle is mounted with a 1.5 kw laser (Item 1) and nearby is a 20 kw laser (Item 2). Presumably, the vehicle mounted 1.25 kw laser is for designating the target and maintaining the aimpoint, while the 20 kw laser completes the engagement sequence. Note: The article indicates the laser weapon supposedly used in Tripoli was a 50 kw which is a fairly substantial system.

Figure 20 - Turkish Cobra Vehicle with 1.25 kw laser (left) and 20 kw laser on a tripod (right) In the United States there is considerable interest in developing ground-based counter UAS laser weapons. The Army is now developing 50 kw lasers for its Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, with plans calling for a prototype to be fielded in 2022. In 2019, the Army awarded competing contracts to Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to build the directed energy weapons. The two companies will act as subcontractors to Kord Technologies, which signed in May a $203 million contract with the service and will each develop a prototype laser (source 7).

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Figure 21 - Stryker equipped with a mobile experimental high-energy laser shot small fixed- and rotary-wing drones out of the sky using a five kilowatt fiber laser in April 2017 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Stars & Stripes)

Discussion

Red Six cannot assess whether the Wing Loong was brought down by a Turkish manufactured ground- based laser weapon with the information available through open source material. While it is plausible the aircraft was defeated by a laser, there are other explanations, such as an aircraft malfunction or the aircraft being defeated by a different weapon system. There is also a chance the story is disinformation or maybe even done for publicity.

The importance of UCAVs to the GNA and LNA cannot be understated. Turkey has used the TB2 extensively in its fighting against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq. The presence of TB2 UCAVs in Libya is a significant concern to the LNA. The LNA strikes against GNA airfields, command centers and logistical sites indicate the LNA is making the disruption of TB2 operations a priority. Likewise, the LNA has used Wing Loong UAVs against a variety of targets in Libya.

All the same, the reported incident provides an opportunity to consider the implications of lasers weapons in a tactical UAV environment. An effective laser counter UAS weapon in Libya would be significant because it would shift, for a time, the balance of power in the air toward the GNA and its TB2 UCAVs. A laser counter UAS weapon would undoubtedly lead to changes in the tactical employment of the UCAV weapons systems, such as the Wing Loong (i.e., evasive maneuvers). It might cause a reduced effectiveness of the aircraft’s missiles due to the need for greater standoff distances. And the need to defend against the system might force changes to the design of the aircraft’s electronic countermeasures suits (e.g. laser warning systems).

Geolocation: Africa (Tripoli, Libya) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Defense and Security Web TV, Laser weapons in Turkish defence industry, 16 August 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDoABpPHaKI [5 October 2019] 2. SouthFront (online news), GNA shoots down wing loong II combat drone, 4 August 2019, https://southfront.org/in-photos-gna-shoots-down-wing-loong-ii-combat-drone-over-misrata/ [26 August 2019] 3. ArmyRecognition.com, Turkey uses laser weapon technology to shoot down Chinese UAV, 16 August 2019, https://www.armyrecognition.com/weapons_defence_industry_military_technology_uk/turkey_uses_laser_ weapon_technology_to_shoot_down_chinese_uav_wing_loong_ii_in_libya.html [16 August 2019] 4. Wikipedia, August 20, 2019, HJ-10 missile, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HJ-10 [6 October 2019]

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5. SouthFront, IDEF ’19, Aug 20, 2019, https://southfront.org/in-photos-gna-shoots-down-wing-loong-ii- combat-drone-over-misrata/ [26 August 2019] 6. TUYAP, 20 August2019, Turkey IDEP ’19, http://idef.com.tr/en/ [5 October 2019] 7. U.S. Stars & Stripes, 18 August 2019, Army wants high-energy laser weapons on Strykers by 2022, https://www.stripes.com/news/us/army-wants-high-energy-laser-weapons-on-strykers-by-2022- 1.593232?bcmt=1 [18 August 2019] ______

Item 15 – Turkish Drone Reportedly Downed in Libya by LNA

Date: 13 September 2019

Summary: The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced early on September 13 that its air-defense units had shot down a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) near the Al-Jufra airbase central Libya (source 1).

Figure 22 – Al-Jufra Airbase in central Libya

Discussion: The LNA has claimed previously to have downed Turkish TB2 drones but has yet to produce evidence. The TB2s are being flown in Libya in support of the Government of National Accord. The aircraft provide the GNA with an advanced reconnaissance and surveillance capability, as well as the ability to engage targets with missiles. Defeating the TB2 capability is a priority of the LNA. IF the LNA was able to defeat a TB2, it may have used a Russian-made Pantsir S1 which were reportedly provided by the LNA by the United Arab Emirates (source 2).

Geolocation: North Africa (Libya) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. SouthFront (pro-Russian News Site), LNA Says it shot down Turkish combat drone, 13 September 2019, https://southfront.org/libyan-national-army-says-it-shot-down-turkish-combat-drone-near-key-airbase/ [28 September 2019] 2. Defense Web, Libya operating Pantsir-S1 air defence systems, 20 June 2019, https://www.defenceweb.co.za/land/land-land/libya-operating-pantsir-s1-air-defence-systems/ [30 June 2019] ______

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U.S. Central Command

Summary of UAS Activities in the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility

During the period of time covered by this survey, the twin foci of small UAS activity in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility continued to be the Arabian Peninsula and Syria.

On 14 September 2019, Iran launched a large scale drone attack from inside its borders targeting critical components of Saudi Arabia’s energy sector (See Item 34). In the attack, the Iranians used approximately seventeen cruise missiles and drones to strike Saudi Arabia’s Khurais oilfield and Abqaiq refinery. Although the attack was initially attributed to the Houthi-Movement rebels in Yemen, the United States presented convincing evidence the attack came from Iran. While the Houthis have on occasion scored hits against their intended targets using large Qasef 2K drones, most Houthi attacks either miss their marks or are defeated by Saudi air defenses. During the reporting period, the Houthi-Movement rebels conducted approximately eighteen attacks using at least twenty-eight large UAS against civilian airports and critical infrastructure.

In Syria, there was continued use of crudely built fixed wing UAS by anti-Syrian Government forces, particularly in and around the Russian Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia in Western Syria. These attacks continued after the dislodgement of ISIS and are emanating from areas under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other former elements of the al-Nusra Front (See Items 18 and 32).

Arabian Peninsula:

Throughout the year, Houthi-Movement rebels have increasingly used Qasef and Sammad UAS for their attacks against the Yemini government and Saudi Arabia. The table below shows the number of attacks reported over the previous six months. The Qasef UAS is based on the Iranian Ababil UAV. Until this year, the Houthi rebels used their Qasef UAVs for surveillance and for flying directly into targets and exploding but they had warned they were going to introduce a Qasef 2K version of the aircraft with advanced capabilities. This happened on 10 January 2019 when the Houthi rebels used an airburst weapon delivered by a Qasef 2K to attack a military parade at Al Anad Air Base in Yemen. The attack killed approximately eight people including two Yemeni general officers and would many others. Since then, the Houthis have used Qasef 2K UAS to conduct multiple attacks against targets in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. This month saw a decrease number of Qasef incidents which marked the end of a string of months with increased numbers of Qasef attacks. The reduction might have been the result of the amount of media attention given to the Abqaiq and Khurais attacks which could have affected reporting of other UAS incidents.

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Figure 23 - Houthi Movement Rebel Qasef UAS and Quds Cruise Missile Attacks

In addition to the increased lethality of the Qasef 2K, the Houthi rebels have improved the capabilities of the aircraft itself. Earlier versions of the aircraft used a common gasoline engine available online known as the DLE 111. For the attack on Al Anad, Red Six analysts identified the aircraft had been upgraded to a DLE 120 (the numbers 111 and 120 refer to the motors’ sizes in cubic centimeters). Then in July, Red Six identified a Qasef 2K with an even larger engine, a DLE 170 which Red Six assesses was intended to improve speed and acceleration of the aircraft because the aircraft’s fuselage appears visually unchanged. Of note, there was an Iranian UAV shot down in Syria during this reporting period with and even larger DLE engine. On 31 August 2019, the Salafist group Fatah al Mubin downed an Iranian HESA Ababil 3 near Idlib which used a DLE 222 engine (See Item 29).

On 20 August 2019, the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 Reaper southwest of Sana’a, Yemen (See Item 21). This marks the second time in recent months of an MQ-9 Reaper being shot down by the Houthi Rebels. Another MQ-9 was defeated by a Houthi rebel surface-to-air missile on 6 June 2019. While the U.S. Central Command was investigating the incident, the June shoot down of an MQ-9 was attributed to a SA-6 missile provided to the rebels by Iran.

Syria

There continued to be a significant number of UAS incidents reported for Syria, particularly in and around the Khmeimim airbase outside Latakia (See Items 19 and 32). During the reporting period, Russian media reported their military had destroyed at least fourteen UAS launched against Khmeimim. The UAS being used to confront Russian positions in Syria are small fixed wing aircraft with fuselages made primarily of wood and polystyrene foam. In statements related to the attacks, Russian spokespersons said, the militants were using “Western” technology in their aircraft which, despite their crude appearance, evidenced advance technical know-how. In 2019 there has been a steep increase in reporting of large-scale attacks of 10 or more drones on Khmeimim monthly. Recently, multiple launch rocket systems have been used during the attacks as well. On 30 September a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman stated that 118 such drones have been destroyed over the past two years, including 58 since 1 January 2019 using their Pantsyr-S1 and Tor-M2 air defense missile systems.

Throughout Syria, there were numerous other incidents involving small fixed-wing UAS during the reporting period (See Items 18, 22, and 29). Of particular interest is Item 29, which shows a simple but effective, tube design drone with an RPG grenade integrated into its nose.

______UAS Incident Reports for U.S. Central Command

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Item 16 – Saudi-Led Coalition Conducts CUAS Operations against Houthi Rebel UCAVs

Date: 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 17, 22, 25, 26, 28, and 29 August 2019

Summary: During August, Red Six identified at least sixteen different incidents when Houthi-Movement rebels used Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) against targets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The map below indicates the dates of the attacks in stars. When Saudi sources reported the targets of the rebel UCAVs, the stars are placed in the vicinity of the target. When the UCAVs were dropped inside Yemen, the stars are placed around Sana’a which is a rebel geographic center of gravity.

Figure 24 – Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia in August (the numbers reflect the dates of the incidents.).

A summary of the different UCAV attacks is, as follows:

• 5 August: There were three separate attacks against the Narjan Airport (5a), King Khalid Airport near Mecca (5b), and Abha International Airport (5c) (sources 1 and 2) • 6 August: The Saudi-led coalition reported defeating multiple (source 3) • 8 August: A Houthi-Movement rebel drone was shot down as it headed toward Jarzan City along the Red Sea coast (source 5) • 9 August: The Saudis defeated a Houthi drone which was targeting the Abha International Airports fuel depot and control tower (source 6) • 12 August: An explosive laden drone launched by the rebels crashed inside Yemeni territory (sources 7, 8 and 9) • 17 August: A deep strike launched by Houthi-Movement rebels against the Shaybah oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia caused a limited fire at a gas plant. Saudi Aramco said the attack had no impact on oil production (17a). A Houthi spokesperson claimed the attack was made by ten drones (source 9). In a separate event the rebels reported launching an attack against Abha International Airport. Saudi sources did not address the rebel claim (17b) (source 11). • 22 August: Early in the day, a Saudi-led Coalition spokesperson reported three Houthi drones were defeated which were targeting Saudi Arabia (22a). Later, a Houthi drone was dropped inside Yemeni territory (22b) (source 12). • 25 August: Two Houthi drones were shot down by Saudi air defenses as they flew toward targets inside the Kingdom (source 13).

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• 26 August: Houthi spokespersons claimed to have launched a “squadron” of drones against Saudi Arabia. A spokesperson for the Saudi stated the country’s air defenses had defeated a single aircraft (source 14). • 28 August: The spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition confirmed a cruise missile launched by the Houthis crashed at Abha International Airport but caused no injuries (source 15). • 29 August: Saudi air defenses destroyed a rebel drone which was launched from Sana’a (source 15).

Discussion: This month showed a marked increase in the number of drone attacks by the Houthi-Movement rebels against the Saudi-led Coalition. While it is challenging to identify what type of drones are being flown by the rebels against which Saudi targets, inferences can be made based on the ranges of the targets. Targets in the southern part of Saudi Arabia, such as Narjan and Jarzan are in range of Qasef 2K UCAVs but the deeper targets, such as Abha, King Khalid Airport and the Shaybah oil field were likely targeted with Sammad 3 drones.

While there were more attacks, the Saudis reported fewer injuries to civilians this month. There were twenty-six civilians injured in June following an attack against Abha International Airport. In July, nine civilians were injured following an attack against Jarzan Airport.

There were photos online of the August 12 crash of a Houthi-Movement rebel drone in Yemen (See image below). Based on the V-shaped tail, the aircraft in the pictures from the crash may be a Sammad 3. The aircraft engine pictured in the Saudi news release is a DLE 170 which is a popular Chinese-made engine, available online to hobbyists. The engine’s name refers to its size in cubic centimeters. The power is 17.5 hp. Red Six analysts first identified DLE 170s in use by the rebels in July 2019. Previously, they were using DLE 111 and 120 engines.

Figure 25 – Images of a Crashed Houthi-Movement Rebel UAV in Yemen

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Yahoo News, Yemeni Houthis launch drones, 5 August 2019, https://news.yahoo.com/1-yemeni-houthis- launch-drone-104020350.html [5 August 2019] 2. The New Arab, Yemen’s launch new drone attacks, 5 August 2019, https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/8/5/yemens-houthis-launch-new-drone-attacks-on-saudi- airports [5 August 2019] 3. Al Arabia News, Arab coalition intercepts Houthi drone, 8 August 2019, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/08/08/Arab-Coalition-intercepts-Houthi-drone-targeting- Saudi-Arabia-s-Jazan-.html [8 August 2019]

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4. Reuters, Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi’s Abha airport, 9 August 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us- yemen-security-houthis/yemens-houthis-attack-saudis-abha-airport-with-drones-houthi-tv- idUSKCN1V005Y [9 August 2019] 5. Reuters, Saudi led coalition says Houthi drone fell inside Yemen, 12 August 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-abha/saudi-led-coalition-says-houthi-drone-fell-inside- yemen-idUSKCN1V30MI [12 August 2019] 6. Arabic International News, Houthi drone crash in Yemen, 14 August 2019, http://www.akhbar- alkhaleej.com/news/article/1178868#.XVOq8LZ6fUI.twitter [14 August 2019] 7. Saudi Press Agency, Houthi terrorist militia fired drone from Sana’a, 31 August 2019, https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=ar&newsid=1958280 [31 August 2019] 8. Reuters, U.S. Yemen Saudi Arabia attacks, 17 August 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen- saudi-aramco-attacks/saudi-oil-operations-unaffected-by-houthi-drone-attack-saudi-aramco-says- idUSKCN1V70AZ [17 August 2019] 9. Haaretz News, Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack, 18 August 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/middle- east-news/yemen-s-houthis-claim-drone-attacks-on-saudi-arabia-s-abha-airport-1.7679816 [20 August 2019] 10. The Arab News, Houthi drone targeting Saudi Arabia shot down, 26 August 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1545326/saudi-arabia [26 August 2019] 11. Reuters, Saudi coalition downs two Houthi drones, 25 August 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us- saudi-yemmen-drones/saudi-led-coalition-downs-two-houthi-drones-statement-idUSKCN1VF101 [25 August 2019] 12. United Press International, Houthis say drone squadron attacked Saudi capital, 26 August 2019, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/08/26/Houthis-say-drone-squadron-attacked-Saudi- capital/3711566831177/ [26 August 2019] 13. Al Arabia News, 29 August 2019, Arab coalitions intercepts Houthi drone launched from Sana’a, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/08/29/Arab-Coalition-intercepts-Houthi-drone-fired-from- Saada-toward-Saudi-Arabia.html [29 August 2019] Item 17 – Simultaneous Missile and Suicide Bombing Attacks in Aden, Yemen

Date: 1 August 2019

Summary: At the start of the month, Houthi-Movement rebels operating in Yemen conducted a missile attack against a military graduation ceremony being held in Aden. The ceremony was for new security force personnel of a group sponsored by the U.A.E. Reporting indicated as many as forty people were killed in the attack, including Muneer al-Yafee, a senior commander of fighters aligned with the U.A.E. The Houthis’ Al Masirah TV claimed the rebel attack employed a ballistic missile and a Qasef-2K UAV; however, Yemeni military sources believed only a missile was used and available online photographs indicate the same. Hours before the missile strike, the ISIS affiliate in Yemen conducted a suicide attack on a police station in Sheikh Othman neighborhood of Aden using a minibus, car, and motorcycles to kill thirteen people.

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Figure 26 – Motorcycle wreckage from Sheikh Othman Attack (left) and Crater from Missile Strike (right)

Discussion: The Houthi attack underscores the advanced capabilities of the rebels’ missiles and UAVs. The Houthi rebel technological advancements have enabled them to use UAVs for strategic purposes. This month the rebels conducted at least nine deep strikes against targets in Saudi Arabia (see items 4 and 9 in this report). While there is open source information tying the Houthi-Movement rebel missile and ISIS suicide bomber attacks together, their occurrence on the same day in the same city suggests the potential for some degree of coordination in the future. It might also indicate coordination between the two groups by outside nation-states.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Aden, Yemen) Importance: High

Sources: 1. New York Times, Dozens killed in Yemen in attacks on military parade, 31 August 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/world/middleeast/yemen-houthi-military-parade.html [6 October 2019] 2. Egypt Today, ISIS claims responsibility for attack on Aden police station, August 29, 2019, https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/73470/ISIS-claims-responsibility-for-attack-on-Aden-police-station [29 August 2019] ______

Item 18 – Syrian Arab Army Shoots Down Militant UAS

Date: 10 August 2019

Summary: The Syrian Arab Army which is loyal to the Syrian national government in Damascus posted a video of a recovered militant UAV with its payload of grenades intact.

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Figure 27 – Image of HTS UAV from YouTube Video

Discussion: The comments which accompany the video claim the aircraft was shot down by Syrian Arab Army soldiers as it circled their position in Hama which is in northwestern Syria. Their does not appear to be any damage to the fuselage to indicate the aircraft was damaged by small arms fire. The aircraft’s engine and other components were removed.

Geolocation: Middle East (Idlib, Syria) Importance: Moderate

Source: Al Masdar News (YouTube), Syrian army shoots down large militant drone, 10 August 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ5-a3UjmrU&feature=youtu.be [6 October 2019] ______

Item 19 – Russian Airbase in Syria Drops Six Militant UAS

Date: 11 August 2019

Summary: Air defense systems protecting Russian forces at Khmeimim Air Force Base near Latakia, Syria, defeated six UAVs which were approaching the airbase.

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Figure 28 – Image Posted on VK Purportedly Showing a Pantsir Intercept of an HTS UAV

Discussion: The Russians protect the Khmeimim airbase with the Pantsir S1 air defense system. The Pantsir is a self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system with combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapons. It uses phased array radars for both target acquisition and tracking. The Pantsir-S1 was designed to provide point air defense of protected assets from close range threats. In the TASS article about the event, the targets were described as maneuverable, indicating they were aircraft and not missiles which are also often used in attacks against the airbase. Additionally, the article said the aircraft were assembled by terrorists “using makeshift tools.” This suggests the aircraft were consistent with the ones flown by the terror group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which operates from Idlib Province in territory controlled by Turkey (See Items 6 and 15 for examples of HTS aircraft).

Geolocation: Middle East (Latakia, Syria) Importance: High

Sources: 1. TASS, Khmeimim defenses shoot down drones, 29 August 2019, https://tass.com/defense/1072963 [6 October 2019] 2. VKontakte (Russian social media site VK), Russian air defenses intercept 6 drones, 29 August 2019, https://vk.com/wall334029877_81281?m=1 [6 October 2019] ______

Item 20 – Houthi-Movement Rebel Small UAS Crash

Date: 14 August 2019

Summary: A video was posted online showing a Houthi-Movement rebel Rased small UAS flying in mountainous terrain before crashing.

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Figure 29 – Images of Iranian Shahed Presented by Saudi-led Coalition

Discussion: The Rased small UAS is based on the popular Skywalker X8 model drone which is available online to hobbyists. It is made of durable Expanded Polyolefin (EPO) foam. The aircraft is a workhorse for the rebels who use it for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. The Twitter post indicates the aircraft was downed by U.A.E. backed ground forces and the sound which accompanies the video includes the noise of a lot of rifle fire.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Yemen) Importance: Moderate

Source: Khalil Dewan (Twitter account), UAE brigade shot down Houthi drone, 14 August 2019, https://twitter.com/KhalilDewan/status/1161304298686427136 [6 October 2019] ______

Item 21 – MQ-9 Reaper Shot Down in Yemen

Date: 20 August 2019

Summary: Rebel insurgents of the Houthi-Movement posted video which claimed to show a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper UCAV being shot down by a surface-to-air missile near Dhamar, Yemen, which is southwest of Sana’a. The rebels claimed they domestically developed the surface-to-air missile.

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Figure 30 – Images of Iranian Shahed Presented by Saudi-led Coalition

Discussion: Following the incident, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement in which the command said, it was “investigating reports of an attack by Iranian-backed Houthis forces on a U.S. UAS operating in authorized airspace over Yemen.” The command’s spokesperson further stated, “Iran's provocative actions and support to militants and proxies, like the Iranian-backed Houthis, poses a serious threat to stability in the region and our partners."

This marks the second time in recent months of an MQ-9 Reaper being shot down by the Houthi Rebels. Another MQ-9 was defeated by a Houthi rebel surface-to-air missile on 6 June 2019. The rebels also recently shot down a Saudi-led coalition Wing Loong 2 using a surface-to-air missile. While the U.S. Central Command is currently investigating the incident, the June shoot down of an MQ-9 was attributed to a SA-6 missile provided to the rebels by Iran.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Yemen) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Military Times, Houthi rebels claim to shoot down reaper drone, 21 August 2019, https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/08/21/houthi-rebels-claim-to-down-reaper-drone- in-yemen-us-investigating/ [21 August 2019] 2. CNN, US blames Iran after drone is shot down, 29 August 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/21/politics/us-drone-yemen/index.html [6 October 2019] 3. SouthFront online (Russian news source), Houthis shot down US made MQ-9 Reaper, 31 August 2019, https://southfront.org/houthis-shot-down-us-made-mq-9-reaper-umanned-combat-aerial-vehicle-over- yemen-photos-video/ [31 August 2019] ______

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Item 22 – Syrian Militant UAV Wreckage Displayed

Date: 20 August 2019

Summary: The Abkhazian news agency ANNA posted images on Twitter of a custom made UAV which was reportedly shot down in Hama, Syria. The images revealed some of the components of the aircraft.

Figure 31 – Images of Downed Syrian Militant UAV

Discussion: The pictures of the aircraft indicate it is a different model UAV than what is most normally seen in Syria. The UAV in Item 7 of this report is what is most typical which is a fairly large UAS constructed of wood and lightweight metal. Instead, the wings of this aircraft appear to be made of EPO foam. The small black square object being held in one of the photos is a receiver for an RMILEC NB20 System which is as 20 channel, UHF long range system for remote control aircraft. The LiPo batteries appear to be Glacier brand 4s 4000 or 4s 5000 packs.

Geolocation: Middle East (Hama, Syria) Importance: Moderate

Source: ANNA News (Twitter account), In the lenses of our correspondents, 20 August 2019, https://twitter.com/annanews_info/status/1157988626271260672 [20 August 2019] ______

Item 23 – IDF Kills Quds Force Operatives Attempting Drone Strike from Syria

Date: 22 and 24 August 2019

Summary: The Israel Defense Force (IDF) posted video of an attempted drone attack by a four-person terrorist team which was attempting to launch an explosive-laden, small UAV for an attack against targets in Israeli territory (source 1). According to the IDF, the team included two members of Hezbollah. Two of the team’s members received training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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Figure 32 – IRGC Operatives Carrying Small UAS before IDF Strike (IDF Facebook Account)

Discussion: The two Hezbollah operatives killed by the Israeli airstrike were Hassan Yousef Zabeeb and Yasser Ahmad Daher, who according to the IDF, traveled to Iran multiple times and worked under the IRGC (See image below). According to the Times of Israel, the incident was comprised of two events: 1) an attempted launch by the terrorists on 22August 2019, and 2) an Israeli airstrike against the compound from where the terrorists operated on 24 August 2019. The IDF video shows the first incident where the team is seen carrying an unidentified fixed wing UAS. Since it required a two-man lift, the aircraft was either heavy or dangerous to handle. An Israeli spokesperson indicated the launch attempt may have been stopped by non-kinetic means. This suggests the IDF disrupted the launch using electronic means (source 2).

Figure 33 – Hezbollah Militants Killed in the Israeli Operation [Note: The letters on the side of plane are part of the Iran Airlines logo.]

The IDF spokesperson stated the terrorist team again attempted to launch the aircraft on 24 August 2019. On this occasion the IDF decided to end the risk by destroying the compound from where they operated. Late on that evening, the Israeli Air Force destroyed the compound (See image below). On Sunday, 26 August 2019, the leader of the Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said the two men were members of his organization.

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Figure 34 - Satellite photo provided by the private intelligence firm ImageSat International showing the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a compound

Geolocation: Middle East (Syria near its border with Israel) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Israel Defence Force (Facebook page), IDF can now release surveillance footage, 26 August 2019, https://www.facebook.com/idfonline/videos/2340010582918245/ [6 October 2019] 2. Times of Israel, IDF identifies 2 killed in Syria strike, 26 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf- identifies-2-killed-in-syria-strike-as-iranian-trained-hezbollah-fighters/ [26 October 2019] ______

Item 24 – Houthi-Movement with Package Crashes in Yemen

Date: 23 August 2019

Summary: Ground defense forces with the Saudi-led Coalition fighting in Yemen posted a picture of a Skywalker X8 (aka Rased) UAV which they claimed they shot down near Hodeidah, Yemen, which is a city on Yemen’s Red Sea coastline.

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Figure 35 - Houthi Rased UAV Recovered by Coalition Forces

Discussion: In the image, there is a bundle wired to the aircraft. Given the way the aircraft is being handled, it is unlikely that the bundle is an explosive device. Instead, Red Six assesses the bundle might be a package and the aircraft could have been on a courier or delivery mission. Red Six has seen this wire on other Rased UAV but this is the first instance where the package was still with the aircraft. There is insufficient visual information to determine whether there is a drop mechanism to release the package in the air or it must land to make its delivery.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Hodeidah, Yemen) Importance: High

Source: Al Wafaq News, Joint forces down a Houthi march south of Hodeidah, 23 August 2019, http://www.alwfaqnews.net/NewsDetail/lF@8BFMvC22mwcskeItQZg== [6 October 2019] ______

Item 25 – Two Israeli Large Multirotor UAS Attack Hezbollah Target in Beirut

Date: 25 August 2019

Summary: In a complex attack against a Hezbollah target in Beirut, the IDF launched two, large rotary wing UAVs from a boat in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the UAVs was used to carry an explosive device which destroyed the target. The other UAV was used for observation and battle damage assessment. In the initial reporting, the aircraft were described as having crashed. There were pictures of one of the drones which smashed into an office building and other pictures of the other drone with witness saying it was brought down with a thrown stone (source 1).

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Figure 36 – Image of Israeli large multirotor UAS Recovered in Beirut

Discussion: Israeli media reported the target of the Israeli attack was a very large, industrial planetary mixer (sources 2 and 3). Planetary mixers are used for intensive mixing, dispersing, kneading, and de-aerating products such as adhesives, sealants, light caulks, pastes, coatings, granulations, and similar products of medium to high viscosity. It is thought Hezbollah obtained the mixer for use in manufacturing solid-fuel for missiles.

Lebanese media reported the aircraft were launched from gunboats offshore Beirut. Both aircraft landed in neighborhoods controlled by Hezbollah which recovered them and later gave them to Lebanese government authorities. Hezbollah said its explosive experts found that one drone was laden with high explosives.

Figure 37 – Image of the Fire following the Israeli UAV Attack against the Hezbollah Target

Following the incident, the Israeli government released the names of four senior Iranian and Hezbollah officials who are involved in a joint project to manufacture precision-guided missiles for Hezbollah. While the announcement was seen as a warning to the officers, it was also likely intended to draw international attention to Hezbollah’s weapons programs.

Geolocation: Middle East (Beirut, Lebanon) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Saida News Agency, A citizen drops an Israeli plane marching in the southern suburb, 31 August 2019, http://www.saidaonline.com/new/ar/news/detailss/news-783694673 [6 October 2019]

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2. Haaretz Israel, Drones that crashed in Beirut were likely flown from Israeli gunboats, 31 August 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/hezbollah-drones-that-crashed-in-beirut-were-likely-flown- from-israeli-gunboats-1.7770714 [31 August 2019] 3. Times of Israel, Hezbollah TV says drones came from Israeli gunboats, 31 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/hezbollah-linked-tv-says-drones-that-hit-beirut-came-from-israeli-gunboats/ 31 August 2019] 4. Times of Israel, IDF reveals details of Iran-Hezbollah precision missile project, 29 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-tacit-threat-idf-reveals-details-of-iran-hezbollah-precision-missile- project/ [29 August 2019] ______

Item 26 – Iran Displays New UAV in Russia

Date: 27 August 2019

Summary: Iran introduced its domestically manufactured Mobin UAS at the MAKS 2019 Air Exhibition in Zhukovsky, Russia. The Iranian UAV is approximately 3 meters long and weighs approximately 670 kilograms. The Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) stated the Mobin is actually a multipurpose ground-launched UAV that can be recovered using a parachute.

Figure 38 - Iranian Mobin Displayed at MAKS '19

Discussion: The aircraft is designed to have a low radar cross-section, fly at an altitude 14,000 meters for 45 minutes at speeds approaching 900 kph (source 1). It was also stated, the Mobin uses terrain contour matching (TERCOM) and/or digital scene matching area correlation guidance (source 2). While the IAIO indicates the aircraft is not a cruise missile, TERCOM navigation systems are used most often by cruise missiles. In a UAV this would be a significant technology development because it would enable the aircraft to use a pre-recorded contour map of the terrain that is compared with measurements made during flight by an on-board radar altimeter. A TERCOM system considerably increases the accuracy of a missile compared with inertial navigation systems. The increased accuracy allows a TERCOM-equipped missile to fly closer to obstacles and generally lower altitudes, making it harder to detect by ground radar (source 3).

Geolocation: Russia Importance: Moderate

Sources:

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1. BulgarianMilitary.com, Iran introduces homemade mobin UAV, 27 August 2019, https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2019/08/29/iran-introduced-its-home-made-mobin-unmanned-aerial-vehicle/ [1 September 2019] 2. Janes 360, Maks 2019 Iran unveils mobin cruise UAV, 31 August 2019, https://www.janes.com/article/90735/maks-2019-iran-unveils-mobin-cruise-uav 3. Wikipedia, TERCOM, 31 August 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TERCOM ______

Item 27 - ISIS Fratricide by Small UAS Misfire

Date: 25 August 2019

Summary: An article in the Sun newspaper’s online edition told a story from British special operations forces in Mosul who claimed, an ISIS fighter inadvertently killed himself with his own UAV. In the story, the ISIS fighter allowed the aircraft’s battery to run-low which caused it by default, to return to base where it detonated overhead.

Geolocation: Middle East (Mosul, Iraq) Importance: Moderate

Source: The Sun Online, 25 August 2019, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9797095/isis-fighter-killed-by-drone- bomb/ [1 September 2019]

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Item 28 - Orlan-10 Shot Down Near Hama, Syria

Date: 28 August 2019

Summary: The Syrian rebel group, National Liberation Front (NLF), posted a video on the Russian social media site VK which showed an Orlan-10 which they claimed was shot down, while it was conducting reconnaissance in the vicinity of Shahshabo Mountain in Idlib Province. The NLF is comprised of eleven separate factions of Syrian militants; the Front receives support from Turkey.

Figure 39 - Damaged Orlan-10

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Geolocation: Middle East (Hama, Syria) Importance: Moderate

Source: VKonnect online (Russian social media site), Rebels shoot down Russian drone, 28 August 2019, https://vk.com/wall448353802_398?m=1&z=photo448353802_457240725%2Falbum448353802_00%2Frev [1 September 2019]

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Item 29 – Militants Down Iranian Drone in Syria

Date: 31 August 2019

Summary: A video on YouTube purportedly showed members of the Fatah al Mubin Operations Room celebrating the downing of a Russian UAV but it was more likely an Iranian drone.

Figure 40 – Militant fighters in Syria with recovered Iranian drone

Discussion: Fatah al Mubin is a Salafist group fighting in Idlib in Northern Syria against the Damascus regime. Fatah al Mubin may be receiving support some from Turkey. As the video shows, the aircraft is most likely an Iranian drone. Both Russia and Iran support Damascus, so from the militants’ perspective it is an enemy kill.

Red Six assesses the captured UAS is likely an Iranian HESA Ababil 3, which was developed by Tehran for long endurance reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The video shows a picture of the captured aircraft and an Iranian video of an Ababil 3 and the photos are consistent with one another. A couple of additional notes: While the Figure 42 - Captured aircraft compared to Iranian fiberglass work on the aircraft is well done, it appears it was made by HESA Ababil 3 hobbyist materials. The engine is possibly a DLE 222.

DLE engines are very common in Iranian aircraft. They are also

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used by the Houthi-Movement rebels in Yemen which use Iranian supplied materials in their Qasef aircraft. The DLE 222 is approximately twice the size of the engines being used by the Houthi’s. The engine is a 4-cylinder, gas powered engine which produces 21.5 hp at 7,500 rpms.

Geolocation: Middle East (Idlib Province, Syria) Importance: Moderate

Source: War Diary Project (YouTube), Jihadis Shoot Down Drone, 31 August 2019, https://youtu.be/W3TV- MazByI, [28 September 2019] ______

Item 30 – Saudi Army Intercepts Houthi Small UAV

Date: 7 September 2019

Summary: The Saudi Ministry of the Interior reported two Saudi soldiers recovered a small UAV being flown by Houthi-Movement rebels in Yemen.

Figure 41 – Saudi soldiers pose with recovered Houthi drone

Discussion: The UAV pictured in the news release is a Houthi-Movement rebel Rased. The Rased is a small UAS based on the popular hobbyist Skywalker X8 model drone which is available online to hobbyists. It is made of durable Expanded Polyolefin (EPO) foam. The aircraft is a workhorse for the rebels who use it for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. The news article indicated the UAV was recovered in Basir Provence which is in the southwest portion of Saudi Arabia near its border with Yemen.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Yemen and Saudi Arabia) Importance: High

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Source: Wataniya News, Soldiers pictured carrying downed Houthi drone, 7 September 2019, https://www.wtniaat.com/new/s/29823 [28 September 2019] ______

Item 31 – Saudi-Led Coalition Intercept Drones Interceptions

Dates: 3 (two events), 4, 5, 7, 11 and 27 September 2019

Summary: On eight occasions during the month, Saudi-led Coalition air defenses defeated large Houthi-Movement UAVs (e.g. Qasef 2K) which were targeting the Kingdom.

Figure 42 – Known Houthi large Drone attacks on Saudi Arabi in September by date and target (when known)

Discussion: The seven large drone incidents which occurred in September were, as follows:

• 3a September (source 2): A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia announced their air defenses had defeated a Houthi drone targeting the Kingdom. • 3b September (source 3): The 5th Military District in Yemen reported downing a Houthi drone (see image below of aircraft). • 4 September (source 4): Saudi Arabian air defense defeated a Houthi drone targeting King Khalid Air Base near Mecca. • 5 September (source 5): A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia announced their air defenses had defeated a Houthi drone targeting the Kingdom. • 7 September (source 6): A drone targeting Khamis Mushait near the Saudi border with Yemen was intercepted by Saudi air defenses. • 11 September (source 7): A drone targeting Narjan along the Red Sea Coast was intercepted by Saudi air defenses. • 27 September (source 8): A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia announced their air defenses had defeated a Houthi drone targeting the Kingdom.

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Figure 43 - Saudi-Led Coalition image of a downed Houthi drone (3 September 2019)

Following the 14 September 2019 attack by Iran on the Saudi Arabian oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, there was a lull in reporting for Qasef-like UAS events from the Yemen Civil War. The lessening of incident reporting could mean there were fewer events, reporting was distracted by the Abqaiq and Khurais event, or other reason. The Houthi’s reported an additional drone attack but there was no outside reporting of the incident (source 1).

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Gulf Channel, Yemeni army conducts drone attacks on military gatherings, 2 September 2019, http://en.ypagency.net/129154/ [28 September 2019] 2. MBC Net (YouTube), Saudi-led coalition downs Houthi drone, 3 September 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdffjdSp0cE [28 September 2019] 3. Fifth Military Area Media Center, National Army Downs Houthi Drone, 3 September 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euz6HP9SyhU [28 September 2019] 4. Live Map, Houthis claimed UAV attack on King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, 4 September 2019, https://yemen.liveuamap.com/en/2019/3-september-houthis-claimed-uav-attack-on-king-khalid-air [28 September 2019] 5. Anadolu Agency, Coalition announces the downing of a drone, 5 September 2019, https://www.aa.com.tr/ar [30 September 2019] 6. Press TV (Iranian), Yemeni forces launch drone attacks on Saudi airbase, 5 September 2019, https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/05/605400/Yemeni-forces-launch-drone-attacks-on-military-sites- in-Saudi-airbase, [28 September 2019] 7. Al Diplomacy, Saudi coalition downs Houthi drone, 7 September 2019, http://www.aldiplomasy.com/?p=83117 [28 September 2019] 8. Al Arabia Net, Coalition drops drone targeting the Kingdom, 10 September 2019, https://www.alarabiya.net/ar/saudi-today/2019/09/10 [30 September 2019] 9. Al Kharnet, Coalition: Interception and shooting down a drone, 11 September 2019, http://www.alkharjnet.net/349755.html#.XXjo95lHjTs.twitter [28 September 2019] 10. Rai Al-Yom, Arab coalition downs aircraft over Saana, 27 September 2019, [September 2019 30] /اﻟﺘﺤﺎﻟﻒ-اﻟﻌﺮﺑﻲ-إﺳﻘﺎط-طﺎﺋﺮة-ﻣﺴﯿّﺮة-أط/https://www.raialyoum.com/index.php ______

Item 32 – Russians Intercept UAVs in Syria which Used “Western” Technology

Date: 3 and 12 September 2019

Summary: On at two least occasions, militant jihadi groups operating in Syria attacked Russian air assets based at Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia using custom built, fixed wing drones. In statements made by the Russians 46

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throughout the month, they pointed to the advanced capabilities of the UAVs as evidence of outside involvement in the technological development of the militant’s UAV capabilities.

• 3 September 2019 (source 1): Russian air defenses engaged and destroyed two drones flown against Khmeimim during the evening hours. The Russians reported there was no damage to their facilities or injuries to personnel. • 12 September 2019 (source 2): Six militant drones were engaged and destroyed by Russian air defenses at Khmeimim airbase. Again, the Russians reported no damage or injuries.

Figure 44 - Russia's Su-57 taking off at Khmeimim Air Base. (Sputnik / Russian Defence Ministry)

Discussion: Oleg Syromolotov, the Russian deputy foreign minister stated, the terrorists in Syria regularly use “Western” technology in the systems they use to attack Russian military installations, such as “modern control systems,” “navigation systems,” and “ammunition discharge systems (sources 5 and 6 ).” As Red Six has reported previously, the capabilities of the militants’ UAVs suggest there is a cadre providing technical advice and logistics support. This cadre may be organic to the militants’ organization or may be instead provided by an outside source.

Red Six examination of online images of militant aircraft has identified their use of Pixhawk flight controllers, FY-602 data radios to transmit telemetry, and Here GPS systems which are well known brands among the RC hobbyist community. These components are all readily available through online sources.

Geolocation: Middle East (Latakia, Syria) Importance: High

Sources: 1. RT News, Russian defenses intercept drone attack on Khmeimim Air Base, 3 September 2019, https://www.rt.com/news/467904-syria-khmeimim-drone-explosions/ 2. Syrian Arab News Agency, Drones used in attacks on Russian forces in Syria are equipped with Western technology, 5 September 2019, https://sana.sy/en/?p=172744, [28 September 2019] 3. Press TV (Iranian), Russia downs six drones in Latakia, 12 September 2019, https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/08/12/603302/Russia-downs-drones-Syria-Latakia-Hmeimim [28 September 2019] 4. Moscow Times, Syrian Terrorist drones were built with ‘outside help,’ Russia says, 24 September 2019, https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/24/syrian-terrorist-drones-were-built-with-outside-help-russia- says-a67409 [28 September 2019]

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5. Pravda, Russia shows DIY drones used to attack Russian troops in Syria, 24 September 2019, http://www.pravdareport.com/news/world/142773-diy_drones/ [29 September 2019] 6. Washington Post, Russian military in Syrian claims it shot down dozens of drones, 27 September 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russian-military-in-syria-says-it-downed-dozens-of- drones/2019/09/27/3497cb72-e124-11e9-be7f-4cc85017c36f_story.html [28 September 2019] ______

Item 33 – Syrian Arab Army Shoots Down Militant UAS

Date: 6 September 2019

Summary: A small UAV which the Syrian Arab Army recovered from the rebels near Tall Rifat, north of Aleppo, possessed more than adequate capabilities. In the area where the aircraft was recovered, the government in Damascus is currently conducting offensive operations.

Figure 45 – Drone recovered by the Syrian Arab Army near Tall Rifat, Syria

Discussion: Despite the primitive appearance of the drone, it has several interesting features. First, its wings and tail look like they were made using a Coroplast-like material; the same material used in yard sale signs. Most of the UAV wings Red Six Solutions sees posted online from Syria use EPO foam with light, wooden spars in their construction. The foam wings are normally covered with shrink-wrap film. While Coroplast probably does nothing to improve endurance or reduce the aircraft’s Radar cross-section, it is inexpensive.

From the structure of the wing in the pictures, foam ribs on a spar, Red Six assesses the builder has a good amount of RC aircraft expertise. The wing covering is a transparent material but from the available images, Red Six cannot determine whether the covering is very thin Coroplast or maybe a shrink wrap like Ultracote. The foam ribs are numbered suggesting it was designed to be disassembled and reassembled like a kit.

The aircraft uses a pusher configuration with an electric motor and a propeller located at the rear of the UAV’s short fuselage. The pusher configuration shifts the aircraft’s center of gravity rearward and improves the aircraft’s balance and efficiency. Most of the images Red Six sees from Syria show rebel aircraft using handmade propellers but the one in the picture looks like an APC model aircraft propeller, a very popular brand within the RC aircraft community. The pusher propeller explains the practical need for the aircraft’s twin-boom design. Another benefit of the twin-boom design is that it allows for a heavier tail which, like the pusher configuration, also pushes back the center of gravity. The effect of the center of gravity being where it is means more weight can go to the front. Based on what can be seen in the picture, Red Six assesses the rebel aircraft could easily carry a payload of 3-

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to-5 pounds. On Twitter, at SMM Syria, the aircraft’s nose is described as a PG-7VL high-explosive anti-tank round (See source 2).

The aircraft uses a 433MHz UHF LRS Long Range RC System to communicate with the pilot team; however, there does not appear to be a GPS system or an autopilot, nor does there appear to be a video camera for telemetry. No camera means the aircraft would be flown in standard RC mode rather than First Person View. Since the UAV was being flown without a navigation or telemetry system, it is a suboptimal configuration for direct attacks because the pilot team would need to have direct line-of-sight to their target. This requirement exposes the pilot team to observation and would limit the targets available to them.

Going without navigation and telemetry systems does reduce the aircraft's cost but it limits what the aircraft can do. Components like GPS and cameras are inexpensive and readily available online. Their addition to the aircraft would enable the UAS crew to conduct longer, more precise attacks and choose more favorable avenues of approach.

Geolocation: Middle East (Tall Rifat, Syria) Importance: High

Source: 1. Harry Boone (Twitter), New design and PG7 warhead, 6 September 2019, https://twitter.com/towersight/status/1169911912609591296 [28 September 2019] 2. SMM Syria, UAV propelled by an electric engine and equipped with an PG-7VL, 6 September 2019, https://twitter.com/smmsyria/status/1169935522942324737 [28 September 2019] ______

Item 34 – Iran Attacks Saudi Arabia with UAVs and Missiles

Date: 14 September 2019

Summary: On 14 September 2019, Iran attacked Saudi Arabian oil facilities. The attacks targeted the huge Abqaiq refinery complex and Khurais oil field which are in Eastern Saudi Arabia near the Persian Gulf. The attack was made with a mix of at least seventeen cruise missiles and large UAVs. The attack temporarily caused a major disruption in Saudi oil production. While initially attributed to the Houthi Movement, officially Ansar Allah, according to the U.S. government, the attacks on Khurais and Abqaiq originated from Iranian territory.

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Figure 46 - Image shows damage to Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility (U.S. Gov’t & Digital Globe)

Discussion: In public statements, the U.S. determination that the attack originated in Iran was based on analysis of satellite image of the cruise missile impacts and by an assessment of the capabilities of the aircraft. It was believed the distance from Yemen to Abqaiq was too great for the aircraft used in the attack. This is the second attack on Saudi Arabia from outside Yemen. On 14 May, the Saudi ARAMCO Pumping Stations nos. 8 and 9 in the center of the country were hit by what was first described as an attack by the Houthis. Later, reports indicated the attack originated in Iraq and the U.S. had warned Baghdad to prevent future incidents (source 2).

The fixed wing aircraft the Iranians used in the attack used a delta-wing design (see image below), probably to reduce its observability by radars. The aircraft were powered by a rotary engine mounted in the rear. The noses of the aircraft were intact indicating the weapon system, if there was one, would be in the fuselage. That appears to be the same method used in other Iranian aircraft designs.

Figure 47 - Colonel Turki al-Maliki of Saudi Arabia presents recovered weapons debris (Saudi Press Agency)

The success of the attack was attributable, at least in part, to the direction of the attack. It would be assumed Saudi air and missile defenses would be oriented toward Yemen. Following the incident, the U.S.

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Department of Defense would deploy a new Patriot air-defense missile battery and four Sentinel radar systems to Saudi Arabia along with 200 support troops.

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Abqaiq and Khurais, KSA) Importance: High

Source: 1. Wall Street Journal, Suspicions rise that Saudi oil attack came from outside Yemen, 14 September 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/suspicions-rise-that-saudi-oil-attack-came-from-outside-yemen-11568498542 [1 October 2019] 2. NY Times, Saudi Oil Attack Photos Implicate Iran, U.S. Says; Trump Hints at Military Action, 16 September 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/world/middleeast/iran-us-saudi-arabia-attack.html [1 Oct 2019] 3. NPR, What we know about the attack on the Saudi oil facilities? 18 September 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/09/19/762065119/what-we-know-about-the-attack-on-saudi-oil-facilities [30 September 2019] 4. CNBC, Drone and missile debris proves Iranian role in Aramco attack, Saudi defense ministry claims, 18 September 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/18/saudi-arabia-drone-and-missile-debris-proves-iranian- role-in-attack.html [30 September 2019] 5. Military.com, US troops are likely headed to Saudi airbase, 24 September 2019, https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/24/us-troops-are-likely-headed-saudi-airbase.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1569356157 [29 September 2019] 6. Defense Post, US to deploy new Patriot missile battery, 4 Sentinel radars to Saudi Arabia, 27 September 2019, https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/27/us-patriot-sentinel-saudi-arabia/ [30 September 2019] ______

Item 35 – Syria Army Shoots Down Large Quadcopter

Date: 21 September 2019

Summary: The Syrian government released pictures of a large, military grade quadcopter which its air defenses shot down near Quneitra in Southern Syria. Syria also claimed to shoot down a drone in nearby Aqraba but did not release pictures.

Figure 48 – Possible Iranian quadcopter captured by Syrian military forces

Discussion: The quadcopter looks like a military grade aircraft with a wingspan of 3-to-4 ft.; the propellers are larger than typical CoTS aircraft. The aircraft has collapsible legs and telescoping arms. In the images, there appears 51

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to be a munition round still inside one of the drop tubes (see center panel above). The drop tubes look to have approximately an 80 mm. diameter and are larger than what are normally seen in imagery of militant forces. For example, most Islamic State aircraft use 30mm tubes for VOG-17 grenades. Israeli newspapers reported the IDF claimed the aircraft was Iranian. The place of the incident was on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights which would put the aircraft in the right proximity for an attack against targets in Israel.

Geolocation: Middle East (Quneitra, Syria) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. France 24, Damascus says second drone downed in 48 hours over south Syria, 21 September 2019, https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/turkish-drones-kill-4-civilians-in-tripoli-libya-h11112.html [29 September 2019] 2. Al Mayadeen (online), Syrian air defenses destroy a drone flying over Aqraba, 22 September 2019, http://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/1343233/ [29 September 2019] 3. Haaretz, Israel blames Iran for explosives-laden drone captured by Syria near Israeli border, 21 September 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/israel-blames-iran-for-explosives-laden- drone-captured-by-syria-1.7870532 [30 September 2019] ______

Item 36 – Pakistan Based Terrorists Use Multirotor UAVs to Smuggle Weapons

Date: 25 September 2019

Summary: Police in Punjab, India, uncovered a smuggling operation which was using large multirotor UAVs to bring weapons into India from Pakistan for terrorist organizations. The police believe there were eight sorties flown between 6 and 16 September. The aircraft carried approximately 175 lbs. of automatic weapons and explosives. Police recovered one of the UAVs and the remains of another which the terrorists attempted to burn (see image below). The terrorist group named in Indian news reports is the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). The KZF is a terrorist organization which seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs through armed struggle with India.

Figure 49 – Burn spot of destroyed terrorist drone in Punjab

Discussion: The incident underscores value of drones as a means of conveyance to malicious actors, such as terrorist groups and criminal organizations. The smuggling occurred in the Punjab district of Tarn Tara but the weapons were meant to support terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir, 200 kms. to the north. Jammu and Kashmir have a heavy Indian Army security presence after the recent decision by the Indian parliament to revoke their status as autonomous states. The region is claimed by both India and Pakistan who are separated by a heavily guarded border known as the Line-of-Control (LoC). India has placed a significant radar surveillance capability

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along the LoC to detect the presence of Pakistani aircraft, including drones. The terrorist’s decision to use Tarn Tara as their infiltration point may have been made to avoid the risk of detection which existed further to the north.

India did not release pictures of the recovered drone but did show pictures of batteries used to power the aircraft. Newspapers described it as a Chinese-made drone. The batteries are Tattu 22000 which are Lithium-polymer batteries suitable for large multirotor aircraft like the DJI S1000 and other similar size aircraft.

Figure 50 - LiPo batteries recovered from the UAVs

Geolocation: Southern Asia (Punjab, India) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Hindustan Times, Pak terror groups use Chinese drones to airdrop 80 kg weapons in Punjab, 26 September 2019, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/at-least-8-drone-sorties-target-j-k-as-pak- based-groups-airdrop-weapons/story-ZmOg4O32XMuNzE23KtsAFO.html [29 September 2019] 2. India Today, After terror-accused gives location, another Pakistani drone recovered near Indo-Pak border in Punjab, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/after-terror-accused-gives-location-another-pakistani- drone-recovered-near-indo-pak-border-in-punjab-1603930-2019-09-27 [29 September 2019] ______

Item 37 - Hezbollah says it shot down 'Israeli drone' at Lebanon border

Date: 2 September 2019

Summary: Hezbollah reported its security forces downed an Israeli drone as it flew over the border with Lebanon. The Islamist militant movement said that the unmanned aircraft was now in the hands of its fighters. The Israeli military confirmed one of its drones "fell inside southern Lebanon during routine operations," but did not say what had caused the crash.

Geolocation: Middle East (Ramyah, Lebanon) Importance: High

Source: Deutsch World, Hezbollah says it shot down 'Israeli drone' at Lebanon border, 9 September 2019, https://www.dw.com/en/hezbollah-says-it-shot-down-israeli-drone-at-lebanon-border/a-50349325?maca=en-rss-en- all-1573-rdf&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter [28 September 2019]

______

Item 38 - Iraqi Militia Deter Drone

Date: 11 September 2019

Summary: The 26th Brigade of Diyala reported its forces shot down a drone which was conducting surveillance. The 26th Brigade is militia unit of the Popular Mobilization Front (PMF). The OMF is an umbrella organization of approximately forty militia units.

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Geolocation: Middle East (Diyala Province, Iraq) Importance: High

Sources: Al Hadeer, Army drops drone, 11 September 2019, http://www.alghadeer.tv/news/detail/98042/ [28 September 2019] ______

Item 39 - Australian Couple Imprisoned for Flying Drone in Iran

Date: 12 September 2019

Summary: Two travel bloggers, Jolie King and Mark Firkin, were arrested by Iranian authorities for flying a drone without a license and held in the Evin jail for three months. In 2017, the couple left Perth, Australia, to begin a worldwide trip to film travel videos. They were released as part of a prisoner swap between Australia and Iran. The Australians turned over an Iranian researcher accused by the U.S. of exporting electronic systems to Iran.

Figure 51 - Jolie King and Mark Firkin (Instagram)

Geolocation: Middle East (Tehran, Iran) Importance: Moderate

Sources:

1. RT News, Australians arrested for flying drones in military area, 12 September 2019, https://www.rt.com/news/468631-drone-iran-arrest-australians/ [29 September 2019] 2. AU News, Australian bloggers released from jail, 6 October 2019, https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/australian-bloggers-jolie-king-and-mark-firkin-have-been- released-from-jail-in-iran/news-story/300de4ae3e8b51166803c299763634c0 [8 October 2019] ______

Item 40 - Unidentified Drone Flies over Kuwaiti Emir’s House

Date: 16 September 2019

Summary: A large rotary wing UAV (approximately 3 m. across) was observed overflying the Emir’s palace in Kuwait at approximately 250 m. above ground level.

Geolocation: Arabian Gulf (Kuwait City, Kuwait) Importance: Moderate

Source: SABQ Online News, A drone flies over Kuwait and Emir’s Residence, 16 September 2019, https://mobile.sabq.org/Z6kvnM [28 September 2019]

______

Item 41 - Two Filipino Men Arrested for Flying Drones in Kuwait

Date: 27 September 2019 54

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Summary: Kuwaiti security forces arrested two Filipinos for operating a UAV in the vicinity of the Al Zour oil refinery. The two men did not have a permit or prior approval authorizing them to use the drone. Police are investigating if this incident is related to other recent drone sightings in the area (See Item 44, above).

Geolocation: Arabian Peninsula (Kuwait City, Kuwait)

Source: Independent News, Filipinos caught walking a drone over an important facility, 27 September 2019, https://almstakil.com/arab-news/367173/ [29 September 2019]

______

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U.S. European Command

Summary of UAS Activities in the USEUCOM Area of Responsibility

In the USEUCOM AOR, there were significant UAS events in Israel and the Donbass Region of the Ukraine, as well as lesser events across the entire area. In Israel, militants in Gaza were able to make a mobility kill against an IDF armored HMMWV using an IED dropped from a multirotor UAV (See Item 52). This event follows an incident in the last report of the militants dropping an IED from a DJI Phantom onto a stationary Merkava tank. While no one was reported injured in either attack, or the damage was light, both attacks provided useful material for the information operations of militant organizations in the region. Also happening in Israel were attacks by the IDF against Hezbollah targets in Syria (See Item 48) and Lebanon (See Item 49). In the Syria operation, the IDF prevented Iranian Quds Force and Hezbollah operatives from launching a fixed-wing drone which they believed was to be used for a terror attack against Israel. In Lebanon, the IDF launched two large multirotor UAVs from gunboats in the Mediterranean, to strike a Hezbollah facility in Beirut which Israeli intelligence believed was being used to produce fuel for missiles.

Figure 52 - Highlighted USEUCOM Incidents

The Donbass Region of the Ukraine continued to have considerable UAS activity; however, the composition of UAS/CUAS environment appears to have changed. As described in the previous report, the past few months has seen a lessening of reports of small UAS incidents, especially quadcopters. A reason for the downward trend in the use of small UAS might be because of improvements in both the Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists counter UAS capabilities. That said, there is still a lot of rotary wing activity in the region, as evidenced by videos posted online from UAS being used to provide forward observation of artillery fire, such as an incident described in this report (See Item 45). Likewise, in the Russian-back separatist enclaves of the Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples’ Republics, spokespersons described multiple occasions where they claim their forces had defeated Ukraine small UAS operations (See Item 42).

The Special Military Mission (SMM) for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe reported it had to take evasive action and end an observation mission when one of its UAVs, positioned on the north-eastern edge of Luhansk City, heard ten shots of small-arms fire from about 1 km distance (See Item 44).

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In the Caucasus, Armenia reported Nagorno-Karabakh air defenses had shot downs an Israeli-made Orbiter-2 being used by Azerbaijan for reconnaissance operations (See Item 55) and more north, South Ossetia reported downing a multirotor being used for observation by Georgia (See Item 56).

______UAS Incident Reports for U.S. European Command

Item 42 – Multiple UAV Shoot Downs in Ukraine by Russian-Backed Separatists

Date: 1, 12, 14, and 16 August 2019

Summary: Throughout August, news outlets for Russian-backed separatists in contested areas of Ukraine and Russian media reported multiple incidents of separatist forces defeating small UAS of Ukraine. A summary of these reports follows:

• 1 August, A spokesperson for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) alleged forces had shot down a Ukraine UAV near Donetsk (Source 3). • 12 August, Two Ukraine UAS being used to support artillery forward observation were destroyed near Mariupol (Source 1). • 14 August, The DPR reported shooting down a DJI Phantom which was flying over Donetsk (See image below). The DPR spokesperson claimed the aircraft was armed with a VOG 17 grenade (source 40).

Figure 53 - DJI Phantom 3 Allegedly Shot Down over Donetsk. Possible bullet hole circled.

• 16 August, Spokespersons for the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples’ Republic (LPR) reported LPR forces had brought down four Ukraine UAVs in the previous twenty-four hours. The LPR exhibited four UAVs which they claimed were the aircraft (See image below). The aircraft were described as being a DJI Phantom-4, Spectrum, Mavic Pro, and Krylo (source 2).

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Figure 54 – Images of Ukraine UAVs Purportedly Shot Down by Russian-backed Separatists in the LPR

Discussion: Regarding the claim that the 14 August drone carried a VOG 17 grenade, Red Six cannot assess whether the aircraft was carrying a grenade because there is no evidence in the picture of a drop harness or other mechanism to carry and release a grenade. The aircraft may have been shot down because there appears to be a bullet hole in one of its arms.

As for the two fixed wing aircraft from the 16 August actions, the white, delta-wing aircraft appears to be based on a Versa Wing design. which can be built with Styrofoam from plans purchased online (www.flitetest.com). Red Six assesses the gray fixed wing appears to be an older, custom built aircraft. It has plug-in wings and was possibly originally used for training. The engine appears to be a K&B .40 aero engine (http://www.kbmfg.com). It is glow powered meaning the fuel is alcohol based mixed with nitro-methane. The Phantom does appear to be a DJI Phantom 4 Pro V1.0. The burnt battery compartment indicates the aircraft’s LiPo battery caught fire. This happens when the battery case is punctured and its chemicals are exposed to the elements. A puncture may have happened as a result of small arms fire.

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Donbass Region, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. RIA Novosti, DPR said they shot down 2 Ukraine drones, 16 August 2019, https://ria.ru/20190812/1557418184.html [1 September 2019] 2. VKontakte (Russian social media site VK) Novorossiya News, 16 August 2019, https://vk.com/club96364201?w=wall-96364201_14567 [1 September 2019] 3. RIA Novosti, DPR says they destroyed Ukraine drone, 29 August 2019, https://ria.ru/20190801/1557073587.html [1 September 2019] 4. Novosti (Russian News Today), DPR downs attack drone, 14 August 2019, https://novosti- novorossii.info/dpr-downs-attack-drone-over-donetsk.html [1 September 2019] ______

Item 43 – Ukraine Soldier Injured by Drone Grenade Attack

Date: 19 August 2019

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Summary: The Ukraine Joint Operations reported two incidents of a small UAV being used to drop VOG-25 grenades on personnel near Pavlopol, Ukraine. The aircraft flew from the village of Verkhnoshyrokivske, approximately 4 miles to the southeast of the attack. In one of the attacks, a serviceman was injured.

Figure 55 - VOG 25 and VOG 17 Grenades (not to scale)

Discussion: The choice of the VOG 25 grenade for a munition is notable because the VOG 17 is almost always the type of grenade used for small UAS attacks. This holds for both rotary and fixed wing UAVs. While he VOG 17 is made to be fired by an automatic, crew served weapon, the VOG 25 is typically fired from a grenade launcher attached to an assault rifle, such as an AK47. To be fired from a UAV, the VOG 25 is modified with bomb fins, so when the grenade is released by the drop harness it meets the spin-to-arm requirement of the grenade (10 to 40 meters). This is a more difficult approach than other explosive devices (ie. pressure devices). The location of the attack is also somewhat unusual. It occurred in southeastern Ukraine near Mariupol. While fighting between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels is very frequent in this area, most of the small UAS incidents occur further north in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Mariupol, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Source: Ukraine Ministry of Defense, UN press center briefing, 19 August 2019, http://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2019/08/19/vechirnij-brifing-pres-czentru-obednanih-sil/ [1 September 2019] ______

Item 44 – OSCE UAV Activities Interfered with in Ukraine

Date: 20 August 2019

Summary: The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE), Special Military Mission (SMM), reported one of its UAVs, positioned on the north-eastern edge of Luhansk City, heard ten shots of small-arms fire from about 1 km distance. The UAV safely landed the UAV and left the area.

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Figure 56 – Images of Iranian Shahed Presented by Saudi-led Coalition

Discussion: The OSCE SMM UAVs have frequently come under fire by small arms and have been electronically interfered with by jamming systems operating from territory controlled by the Russian-backed separatists. The SMM UAVs mission is to monitor compliance between Ukraine and separatists of the Minsk II Agreement.

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Donbass Region, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Source: OSCE SMM, OSCE Update, 22 August 2019, https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to- ukraine/428396 [1 September 2019] ______

Item 45 – Ukraine Forces Attempt to Fly Phantom While Under Fire

Date: 29 August 2019

Summary: A news video released by the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples’ Republic (DPR) purports to show a DJI Phantom UAV being used to observe Ukraine artillery fire against DPR positions.

Figure 57 – Image of DJI Phantom Spotting Artillery Fire in Donetsk

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Discussion: In the video, a news crew moves along a deep defensive trench constructed by the DPR to a position where they can observe a farmhouse. From the farmhouse, the crew can observe what appears to be a DJI Phantom being launched from behind a wall. According to the reporter, the aircraft is protected by machine gun fire providing overwatch. The reporters claim to observe the UAV provide observation for two Ukraine artillery strikes which they show in the video. The video is a good example of how small UAS may be integrated to support combined arms operations in combat.

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Luhansk, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Source: Istok News Agency, Shock drone spotted in DPR, 30 August 2019, http://miaistok.su/obstrel-so-storony- vsu-i-sbros-boepripasa-s-udarnogo-bespilotnika-zafiksirovali-v-dnr- video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+miaistok%2Fnews+%28%D0%9C %D0%98%D0%90+%C2%AB%D0%98%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BA%C2%BB+%D0%9D%D0%BE% D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8+%D0%9B%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0 %BA%D0%B0%29 [1 September 2019] ______

Item 46 – Extinction Rebellion Splinter Group Faces Jail Time

Date: 29 August 2019

Summary: A splinter group called Heathrow Pause of the environmental activist organization, Extinction Rebellion, is threatening to use between 50 and 100 small, toy drones to halt traffic at Heathrow Airport to call attention to climate change.

Figure 58 – Heathrow Airport in London

Discussion: The plan by the Extinction Rebellion’s splinter group is to create a persistent incursion into the airspace used by Heathrow airport to create an affect there similar to the alleged drone incursion at Gatwick airport in December 2019. The plan calls for using 50 to 100 small toy drones which will be flown at head-high level by 50 to 100 drone operators. Heathrow Pause has schedule the protest for September 13, 2019.

A previous plan by Extinction Rebellion to shutdown Heathrow was stopped earlier in the summer when Scotland Yard warned the organization of the extreme penalties involved with interfering with commercial aviation. Extinction Rebellion has disavowed any role in the Heathrow Pause planning which is causing a degree of tension within the organization. Apparently, many members of Extinction Rebellion disagree with the concept because they believe it violates the group’s nonviolent principles of operation.

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Geolocation: United Kingdom (Heathrow Airport) Importance: Moderate

Source: The Telegraph, Holiday makers face flight chaos, 30 August 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/29/holidaymakers-face-flight-chaos-extinction-rebellion-splinter/ [1 September 2019] ______

Item 47 - Russian-Backed Rebels Show New, Small Fixed Wing UAS

Date: 15 August 2019

Summary: The self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples’ Republic in Eastern Ukraine posted a flight video of a small fixed wing UAV which they are apparently adding to their inventory. The aircraft has twin props and appears made from Expanded Polyolefin foam which is commonly used for remote control aircraft. No specific capabilities were identified in the video other than telemetry video.

Figure 59 – DPR Fixed Wing UAV

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Donetsk, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Source: VKonnect online (Russian social media site), Test flight of twin engine UAV, 15 August 2019, https://vk.com/kcpn2014?z=video-164565446_456239139%2Fcd96e2d355b51824af%2Fpl_wall_-164565446 [1 September 2019]

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Item 48 – IDF Kills Quds Force Operatives Attempting Drone Strike from Syria

Date: 22 and 24 August 2019

Summary: The Israel Defense Force (IDF) posted video of an attempted drone attack by a four-person terrorist team which was attempting to launch an explosive-laden, small UAV for an attack against targets in Israeli territory (source 1). According to the IDF, the team included two members of Hezbollah two of the team’s members received training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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Figure 60 – IRGC Operatives Carrying Small UAS before IDF Strike (IDF Facebook Account)

Discussion: The two Hezbollah operatives killed by the Israeli airstrike were Hassan Yousef Zabeeb and Yasser Ahmad Daher, who according to the IDF, traveled to Iran multiple times and worked under the IRGC (See image below). According to the Times of Israel, the incident was comprised of two events: 1) an attempted launch by the terrorists on 22 August 2019, and 2) and Israeli airstrike against the compound from where the terrorists operated on 24 August 2019. The IDF video shows the first incident where the team is seen carrying an unidentified fixed wing UAS. Since it required a two-man lift, the aircraft was either heavy or dangerous to handle. An Israeli spokesperson indicated the launch attempt may have been stopped by non-kinetic means. This suggests the IDF disrupted the launch using electronic means (source 2).

Figure 61 – Hezbollah Militants Killed in the Israeli Operation [Note: The letters on the side of plane are part of the Iran Airlines logo.]

The IDF spokesperson stated the terrorist team again attempted to launch the aircraft on 24 August 2019. On this occasion the IDF decided to end the threat by destroying the compound from where they operated. Late on that evening, the Israeli Air Force destroyed the compound (See image below). On Sunday, 26 August 2019, the leader of the Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said the two men were members of his organization.

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Figure 62 - Satellite photo provided by the private intelligence firm ImageSat International showing the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a compound

Geolocation: Middle East (Syria near its border with Israel) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Israel Defence Force (Facebook page), IDF can now release surveillance footage, 26 August 2019, https://www.facebook.com/idfonline/videos/2340010582918245/ [1 September 2019] 2. Times of Israel, IDF identifies two killed in strike, 15 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf- identifies-2-killed-in-syria-strike-as-iranian-trained-hezbollah-fighters/ [1 September 2019] ______

Item 49 – Two Israeli Large Multirotor UAS Attack Hezbollah Target in Beirut

Date: 25 August 2019

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Figure 63 – Image of Israeli Large Multirotor UAS Recovered in Beirut

Figure 64 – Image of the Fire following the Israeli UAV Attack against the Hezbollah Target

Geolocation: Middle East (Beirut, Lebanon) Importance: High

Sources: 1. Saida News Agency, Citizen drops an Israeli plane UAV, 31 August 2019, http://www.saidaonline.com/new/ar/news/detailss/news-783694673 [1 September 2019]

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2. Haaretz Israel, Drones that crashed in Beirut were likely flown from Israeli gunboats, 31 August 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/hezbollah-drones-that-crashed-in-beirut-were-likely-flown- from-israeli-gunboats-1.7770714 [1 September 2019] 3. Times of Israel, Hezbollah linked TV say drones came from Israeli gunboats, 31 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/hezbollah-linked-tv-says-drones-that-hit-beirut-came-from-israeli-gunboats/ [1 September 2019] 4. Times of Israel, IDF reveals details of Iran-Hezbollah precision missile project, 29 August 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-tacit-threat-idf-reveals-details-of-iran-hezbollah-precision-missile- project/ [1 September 2019] ______

Item 50 - Russia Deploys Forpost Squadron to Crimea

Date: 20 August 2019

Summary: As reported by the Russia newspaper Izvestia, Russia has deployed a squadron of Forpost reconnaissance and targeting drones in the annexed Ukraine Crimea territory. The drones are stationed near Sevastopol, assigned to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The Forpost tactical drone is a licensed copy of the Israeli Searcher Mk II which has been produced at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant since 2010.

Figure 65 - Russian Forpost UAV

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Crimea, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Sources:

1. UA Wire, Russia deploys reconnaissance drone, 16 August 2019, http://www.uawire.org/russia-deploys- squadron-of-reconnaissance-drones-in-crimea 2. LiveJournal, UAV outpost-r makes first flight, 31 August 2019, https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3747506.html [1 September 2019]

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Item 51 – Russian-backed Rebels Down to Ukrainian Drones

Date: 30 August, 5, 6 15, September 2019

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Summary: During August, spokespersons for the self-declared Donetsk Peoples’ Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) made multiple claims of shooting down small UAS launched from Ukraine.

Figure 66 – DPR Red Banner of Victory Shot Down by Ukraine Forces on 9 September

Discussion: The DPR made four claims of Ukraine’s use of small UAS, as follows: 30 August – a UAS grenade attack against civilians, 31 August – the downing of two UAVs by DPR forces, 5 September – a potential attack by Ukraine against UN observers, and 15 September -two more Ukraine drones shot down by DPR forces. And, on 6 September, the LPR claimed to have shot down a Ukraine small UAS.

Additionally, on 9 September, DPR’s soldiers marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Donbass from the Nazis in World War II by flying a red victory banner and balloons over Ukraine positions of the Azov Battalion using a drone. The Ukraine forces responded with small arms and ATGM fire to destroy the banner.

Geolocation: Eastern Europe (Donbass, Ukraine) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. Novo Russia News, APU dropped a grenade from a drone on civilians of Gorlovka, 30 August 2019, https://novorosinform.org/786958 [28 September 2019] 2. Russia Int’l News Agency, DPR declares the destruction of two drones of the security forces, 31 August 2019, https://ria.ru/20190831/1558111700.html [28 September 2019] 3. DPR News (Russian VKontakte social media), DPR was hit by an APU drone flying towards the OSCE observers, 5 September 2019, https://vk.com/@-184049697-rss-184749475-934550152?m=1 [28 September 2019] 4. Russia Int’l News Agency, LPR Shoots Down Ukraine Drone, 6 September 2019, https://ria.ru/20190912/1558614241.html [28 September 2010] 5. Russia Int’l News, DPR shoots down two drones, 15 September 2019, https://ria.ru/20190915/1558706170.html [29 September 2019] 6. Stalker Zone, DPR militia sent the Soviet banner of victory to the Azov positions, 9 September 2019, https://www.stalkerzone.org/the-dpr-militia-sent-the-soviet-banner-of-victory-to-the-positions-of-azov- nazis/ [29 September 2019] ______

Item 52 – Gaza Militants Use Drone to Drop IED on HMMWV

Date: 7 September 2019

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Summary: Militants operating from inside Hamas controlled Gaza used a drone aircraft to drop an IED over the Israeli side of the Gaza perimeter fence line. The weapon detonated and caused light damage to an Israeli HMMWV.

Figure 67 – Image of damage to Israeli HMMWV (video: WIN)

Discussion: A video posted on YouTube shows the damage to the HMMWV caused by the weapon which looks to include two flattened tires, a punctured fuel tank, and scarring to the vehicle’s ballistic windows. The weapon affected a mobility kill on the HMMWV. Had someone been nearby, they could have been severely injured.

This is the second recent incident of militants using a drone to hit an Israeli military target. On 30 May 2019, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video showing a successful IED strike on an Israeli Merkava tank. In that incident, a DJI Phantom was used.

Geolocation: Middle East (Gaza, Israel) Importance: High

Sources: 1. AP News, Israeli aircraft strike targets in Gaza after drone attack, 7 September 2019, https://www.apnews.com/3e4a0311568c4ea4990600b6f9cd36e6 [28 September 2019] 2. World Israel News (YouTube), Bomb-dropping drones: New threat emerges from Gaza, 8 September 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMM1uTzIi1I [28 September 2019] ______

Item 53 – Man Accused of Plotting Drone Attack on UK Army Base

Date: 10 September 2019

Summary: An Islamic State supporter is being tried in the UK for allegedly having plotted to attack a British army barracks with a modified drone. A prosecutor told the court that Hisham Muhammad, 25, planned to use a UAV to drop a projectile on the base.

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Figure 68 – Photograph of suspicious material discovered during a raid of the suspect’s home

Discussion: Mr. Muhammad is being tried in criminal court for planning an attack against Castle Armoury Barracks in Bury, UK. According to the prosecutor, technical challenges arising from the plan led him to also consider using knives or other bladed items instead, in order to stab human targets. When police raided his house in Bury, they found diagrams and materials for the homemade drone attachment. Officers found a stash of weapons, including a tomahawk, a machete and bear-claws, jurors heard. Police also discovered red lollipop sticks attached to an electrical component with black tape and various wires which were described in court as a prototype of the drone attachment. Mr. Muhammad moved to Britain from Bermuda in 2013. He is said to have funded his activities from proceeds he made running a scam online escort agency.

Geolocation: Europe (Manchester, UK) Importance: Moderate

Source: BBC News, Terror accused 'plotted lone army barracks drone attack, 10 September 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-49645627 [28 September 2019]

Item 54 – Heathrow Pause Threatens to Shutdown Airport, 19 Arrested

Date: 13 September 2019

Summary: A splinter group from the Extinction Rebellion known as Heathrow Pause threatened to shut down Heathrow airport on 13 September 2019 using dozens of small drones (source 1)

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Figure 69 – Map of Heathrow prepared by Heathrow Pause showing the airports exclusion zone

Discussion: For the past several months, Heathrow Pause announced repeatedly their plan to stage a protest at Heathrow by using small UAVs to shut down the airport. Their plan was to fly small drones (less than 15 lbs.) at a height of just 6 feet above ground level which would be low enough to miss flight paths but high enough to trigger safety precautions by the airport (e.g. ground and divert commercial aircraft). On 13 September, the planned date of the protest, there were no drone disturbances at the airport; however, law enforcement did make nineteen arrests of people associated with the event.

Geolocation: Europe (Heathrow Airport London, UK) Importance: Moderate

Sources: 1. Peta Pixel, 30 August 2019, Climate activists hope to shut down Heathrow https://petapixel.com/2019/08/30/climate-activists-hope-to-shut-down-heathrow-by-flying-drones-nearby/ [30 September 2019] 2. BBC News, Heathrow climate change drone protest arrests rise to nineteen, 14 September 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-49696973 [29 September 2019] ______

Item 55 – Armenian Air Defenses Shoot Down Azerbaijani UAV

Date: 25 September 2019

Summary: The Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry announced its air defense forces shot down an Azerbaijani drone. Nagorno-Karabakh is a breakaway state from Azerbaijan which is allied with Armenia. The vehicle was reported as an Israeli made Orbiter-2 and it was shot down along the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan as it was apparently conducting a reconnaissance flight. The Orbiter 2 is a lightweight man-portable system designed for reconnaissance missions. It is manufactured by Aeronautics, an Israeli company that has sold this and other types of UAS to Azerbaijan in recent years.

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Figure 70 – Destroyed Orbiter-2 found along the Border of Azerbaijan

Discussion: The Orbiter 2 is a lightweight man-portable system designed for reconnaissance missions. It is manufactured by Aeronautics, an Israeli company which has sold this and other types of UAS to Azerbaijan in recent years. According to Israeli media reports, Aeronautics was working on a potential $20 million deal with Baku when Azerbaijani officials asked its specialists to demonstrate one of its “kamikaze” drones on Karabakh Armenian army positions in the summer of 2017. The reports said two Aeronautics employees refused to carry out the attack but higher-ranking executives of the company agreed to do so. The scandal led Israeli authorities to suspend Aeronautics’ export license which they lifted in January this year.

Geolocation: Central Asia (Stepanakert, Artsakh) Importance: Moderate

Source: Massis Post, Nagorno-Karabakh air defense forces shot down Azerbaijani drone, 25 September 2019, https://massispost.com/2019/09/nagorno-karabakh-air-defense-forces-shot-down-azerbaijani-drone/ [29 September 2019] ______

Item 56 - Georgia Shoots Down Quadcopter on Border

Date: 1 September 2019

Summary: South Ossetia claimed one of its quadcopters was shot down by small arms fire coming from Georgia to the south. South Ossetia is a disputed territory in the Southern Caucasus region which broke away from Georgia in 2008. While internationally recognized as part of Georgia, Russia protects the territory.

Geolocation: Central Asia (South Ossetia) Importance: Moderate

Source: Vladikavkaz News, South Ossetia has reached a height on the border line with Georgia, 5 September 2019, http://vladikavkaz-news.net/politics/2019/09/05/19606.html [28 September 2019]

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Item 57 - Hezbollah says it shot down 'Israeli drone' at Lebanon’s border

Date: 2 September 2019

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Geolocation: Middle East (Ramyah, Lebanon)) Importance: Moderate

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Item 58 - FBI Aids in Arrest of Terrorist in the Netherlands

Date: 6 September 2019

Summary: Court papers released in Amsterdam showed, a twenty-four year old jihadist living in Rotterdam, Netherlands, discussed conducting a terrorist attack in Paris with drones. The man discussed this and other attack ideas with jihadists via chat groups. The FBI informed the Dutch police, who arrested the man on New Year's Eve 2018.

Geolocation: Europe (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Importance: Moderate

Source: Crime Site, FBI assisted the Netherlands in picking up the terror suspect, 6 September 2019, https://www.crimesite.nl/exclusief-fbi-hielp-nederland-bij-oppakken-terreurverdachte [28 September 2019]

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Item 59 - IDF Drone Falls in Gaza

Date: 10 September 2019

Summary: The IDF reported one of its drones had fallen in the Gaza Strip during nighttime operations. Palestinian media reported that the drone was shot down and was seized by the Hamas terror group. The IDF did not comment on the reason the aircraft went down.

Geolocation: Middle East (Gaza, Israel) Importance: Moderate

Source: Times of Israel, IDF drone crashes in Gaza, 10 September 2019 https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-drone- crashes-in-gaza-palestinians-claim-to-shoot-it-down/ [28 September 2019] ______

Item 60 - Close Call in London with Drone and Air Ambulance

Date: 12 September 2019

Summary: A Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew said a drone being flown at an illegal height of 1,300 ft came within 10 ft of their helicopter. The crew avoided a collision due to "the vigilance of our front-seat paramedic" and "the rapid reaction of our pilot." The drone went underneath the helicopter after the later performed an evasive maneuver. Figure 71 - Yorkshire Air Ambulance

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Geolocation: Europe (Yorkshire, UK) Importance: Moderate

Source: BBC News, Air ambulance in near-miss with illegal drone, 12 September 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-49673373 [28 September 2019] ______

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U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

Summary of UAS Activities in the USINDO-PACOM Area of Responsibility

During the reporting period, the most significant UAS event occurred in Punjab, India, where police uncovered a terrorist ring which was using large multirotor UAVs to smuggle arms, ammunition, and explosives from Pakistan into India. The group behind the smuggling supports the idea of an armed struggle to gain independence for Kashmir. In the previous two reports, there was UAS activity noted along the Line-of-Control (LoC) which divides the Kashmir region between the counties of India and Pakistan. Those UAS events occurred in the aftermath of a suicide, vehicle bomb attack in January by the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed which killed forty-four members of the Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir. This terror act greatly heightened tensions along the LoC. During the period, both the Indian and Pakistani militaries used Groups 1, 2 and 3 UAS to conduct ISR operations to learn about the other’s troop dispositions and movements. Reconnaissance by Pakistani Group 3 UAS, particularly the Bravo+ Remote Piloted Vehicles, led to Indian Air Force CUAS operations which included the use of EW CUAS.

While there was for a while, a cooling of tensions between Pakistan and Indian along the LoC, tensions increased again, after the Indian parliament revoked the autonomous, special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The smuggling operation occurred well to the southwest of the LoC, suggesting the terrorist planners were trying to avoid detection by moving away from the heavily observed LoC.

______UAS Incident Reports for USINDOPACOM

Item 61 - Indian Army Rashtriya Rifles Soldiers with Netra UAV Kits Bound for Kashmir

Date: 13 August 2019

Summary: The pictured soldiers appear to be carrying Netra UAVs which are manufactured in India by IdeaForge (https://www.ideaforge.co.in/drones/netra-pro-uav/). The company makes several different models of quadcopters. A picture of in the May 2019 Red Six Rollup showed a small IdeaForge VTOL which had apparently crashed in Kashmir. India has increased its military presence in Kashmir after its decision, on 5 August 2019, to revoke the autonomy of the Muslim majority state.

Figure 72 – Indian Soldiers with Netra UAV Kits

Geolocation: South Asia (India) Importance: Moderate

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Source: Reddit, Army Rashtriya Rifles, 29 August 2019, https://www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryPorn/comments/cqbmy4/indian_army_rashtriya_rifles_soldiers_with_netra/ [1 September 2019]

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Item 62 - Taiwanese Exploding Drone

Date: 14 August 2019

Summary: Taiwan exhibited its new explosive drone at the biennial Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in the island country’s capital. Called the Fire Cardinal, Taiwan described the aircraft as an exploding drone and said, it is designed for an air-to-ground strikes.

Figure 73 – Taiwanese Fire Cardinal Exploding Drone

Geolocation: East Asia (Taipei, Taiwan) Importance: Moderate

Source: The National Interest, Taiwan developing suicide drones, 15 August 2019, https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/get-ready-china-taiwan-developing- “suicide-drones”-73611 [1 September 2019]

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Item 63 - Two Arrested for Alleged UAS Spying in India

Date: 16 August 2019

Summary: Members of a youth organization, aligned with a former governor of Andhra Pradesh (a state in Southeastern India), detained two individuals they claimed were using a drone to surveil his home. The detained drone operators stated they were taking videos of the Prakasam Barrage which is a long bridge crossing the Krishna River.

Geolocation: South Asia (Andhra Pradesh, India) Importance: Moderate

Source: Deccan Chronicle, Two people held for flying drones, 30 August 2019, https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/160819/ap-two-held-for-flying-drones-over-chandrababu- naidus-residence.html [1 September 2019] ______

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Item 64 – Pakistan Based Terrorists Use Multirotor UAVs to Smuggle Weapons

Date: 25 September 2019

Summary: Police in Punjab, India, uncovered a smuggling operation which was using large multirotor UAVs to bring weapons into India from Pakistan for terrorist organizations. The police believe there were eight sorties flown between 6 and 16 September. The aircraft carried approximately 175 lbs. of automatic weapons and explosives. Police recovered one of the UAVs and the remains of another which the terrorists attempted to burn (see image below). The terrorist group named in Indian news reports is the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). The KZF is a terrorist organization that seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs through armed struggle with India.

Figure 74 – Burn spot of destroyed terrorist drone in Punjab

Discussion: The incident underscores the value of drones as a means of conveyance to malicious actors, such as terrorist groups and criminal organizations. The smuggling occurred in the Punjab district of Tarn Tara but the weapons were meant to support terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir, 200 kms. to the north. Jammu and Kashmir have a heavy Indian Army security presence after the recent decision by the Indian parliament to revoke their status as autonomous states. The region is claimed by both India and Pakistan who are separated by a heavily guarded border known as the Line-of- Control (LoC). India has placed a significant radar surveillance capability along the LoC to detect the presence of Figure 75 - - LiPo batteries recovered from the UAVs Pakistani aircraft, including drones. The terrorist’s decision to use Tarn Tara as their infiltration point may have been made to avoid the risk of detection which existed further to the north.

India did not release pictures of the recovered drone but did show pictures of batteries used to power the aircraft. Newspapers described it as a Chinese-made drone. The batteries are Tattu 22000 which are Lithium- polymer batteries suitable for large multirotor aircraft like the DJI S1000 and other similar size aircraft.

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Geolocation: Southern Asia (Punjab, India) Importance: High

Item 65 - Australian Couple Imprisoned for Flying Drone in Iran

Date: 12 September 2019

Figure 76 - Jolie King and Mark Firkin (Instagram)

Geolocation: Middle East (Tehran, Iran) Importance: (Moderate)

Sources:

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events, Vol. 1, No. 3

FOCUS Areas

This last section of the survey looks at how open source reporting of UAS incidents during the past sixty days reveals information about malicious the actors, trends in UAS employment, and the possible implications for CUAS development based on noticed changes in the application of technology.

Most Significant Capabilities

Terrorist groups and non-state actors, which have external support, continue to represent the most serious small UAS significant capabilities and skills. The Iranian supported Houthi Movement rebels in Yemen possess a significant capability; however, Russian-backed separatists in the Ukraine have also demonstrated a considerable talent for small UAS design and engineering. While neither of these groups pose hazards to the United States homeland, they do have the operational reach to affect U.S. operations in their regions.

The technical capabilities of the Houthi rebels were evidenced in June and then again in August when they used surface to air missiles to shoot down United States MQ-9 Reapers. Their growing capability was on display in Sana’a, Yemen, in July, when the rebels exhibited a range of new missile and UAS systems to include an upgraded Sammad-3 UCAV, Qasef-K2 loitering munition and Quds-1 cruise missile.

Figure 77 - Infographic Prepared from Houthi UAS Exhibit in Sana'a (Islamic World News)

Prior to this year, the Islamic State had used small UAS extensively for reconnaissance, to monitor and control tactical operations and to attack targets. The Islamic State small UAS capability ended with their dislodgement from Syria but their knowledge base with respect to UAS remained among the various anti-Syrian government groups still operating in Northern Syria. These groups continue to use homemade small, fixed wing UAS in their fighting, particularly against Russian targets. During this report’s period, elements aligned with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham have repeatedly attacked Russian facilities in Syria, particularly the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia (See Items 19 and 32). While these aircraft look crudely built, they are actually quite sophisticated. Their design has improved over time and appears to be made using a standardized production method. From a CUAS perspective, a concern with respect to groups like the Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, the Houthi Movement rebels, and militant groups operating in Syria is that the technology applications and TTPs they are using will migrate to other groups.

It is difficult to make inferences from the available information as to how UAS are being employed but data suggests the majority of UAS missions are still ISR related (See Table below). Since ISR missions are only

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events, Vol. 1, No. 3

reported in the media when the aircraft is intercepted, the number of actual UAS ISR missions is very likely much higher.

Table 5 – Numbers of High Impact UAS Events by Mission Set

A comparison of how small UAS are employed between this report’s period of coverage and the previous quarter indicates a sharp rise in the percentage of direct attacks using UAS. A direct attack is when the aircraft is flown directly into the target or fires a munition at it. An indirect attack is when the aircraft uses a delivery apparatus to drop a munition on a target. The rise in the percentage of direct attacks during this reporting period is almost wholly attributable to the increased tempo of Houthi-Movement rebel UAS attacks on Yemeni and Saudi Arabian targets.

Table 6 – Comparison of Types by Percentages of UAS Operations between Current and Previous Report

Criminal Groups will continue to use small UAS, especially for surveillance and to conduct illicit trafficking. The trafficking routes used by transnational criminal organizations traverse along difficult to protect paths where criminals will sometimes find UAS as a cost effective means for watching law enforcement and for covering the last mile of distance to move their product into guarded areas like getting contraband into prisons.

Direction of Small UAS

While still a concern, the use of small, consumer UAS for tactical operations has lessened over the past eighteen months. This is especially true for newer DJI products, such as the Mavic, which can be geo-fenced to prevent their use around airports and other delineated, protected facilities. In the future, the deployment of various Government and commercial RF detection and mitigation technologies will also limit the usefulness of popular

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events, Vol. 1, No. 3

small UAS to criminal actors. That said, criminal groups and individuals continue to use small multirotor UAS for illicit trafficking.

In overseas theaters, the trend for the employment of UAS is pointing toward larger, faster UAS. This is true for UAS being used for ISR and attack operations alike. This trend is especially evident on the Arabian Peninsula with the capabilities being demonstrated by the Houthi-Movement rebels. It is also apparent in Libya where both sides of the power struggle to control the country are using large, foreign manufactured UAS for ISR and air-to-ground attacks. With regard to the term fast, these aircraft are still subsonic. For instance, the Qasef 2K is thought to have a cruising speed between 250 and 300 km/h. The table below shows the breakout of UAS incidents in this report by type of UAS. Many of the moderate impact, small multirotor incidents were related to criminal activity (i.e., prison smuggling) or reckless operations. Otherwise, the majority of the incidents were fixed-wing events and the majority of high impact events were weighted towards larger aircraft.

Table 7— Aircraft Type and Impact

The development and international sales of loitering munitions has not yet translated into their use by state sponsored terrorist groups or non-state actors; however, the characteristic of these aircraft will be attractive to them. The ability to loiter high above a target and attack directly downward enables loitering munition to exploit defense weaknesses to top attack weapons systems.

Implications for CUAS

Bigger and Faster

For CUAS, integrating technologies from different vendors on a Common Operating Picture (COP) will be the key to success. The trend in UAS being larger and faster has definite implications for CUAS systems focused on small UAS. While the larger cross section may improve detection, discrimination and tracking, the faster speeds of the aircraft, will most certainly reduce the decision time available for making mitigation decisions. Compounding the decision-making challenges, the larger aircraft means they will have the potential for larger payloads which will increase the destructive potential of these aircraft.

The longer ranges of small UAS means their aircrews will fly well beyond their visual sight limits. A greater percentage of aircraft will no longer operate in the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz ISM bands and instead CUAS operators may see increased use of longer wave form frequencies like 915 and 433 MHz. Additionally, UAS will use encrypted telemetry radios with frequency-hopping, spread spectrum (FHSS) software technology. Spread-spectrum signals are often difficult to intercept and could cause challenges for CUAS teams (e.g. jamming at a broader spectrum may reduce the range of the system).

While bigger, faster small UAS will overmatch and thereby, circumscribe the utility of short range CUAS (e.g. small arms and net capture systems), these systems will still make an important contribution to a layered CUAS

Survey of Worldwide UAS and CUAS Activities and Events, Vol. 1, No. 3

approach but in certain operational environments there will necessarily be a need to be able to defeat UAS at ranges beyond the line of visual sight or field of view of the CUAS team.

Commercial Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied toward commercial drone technology and, unfortunately, it will have applicability to the purposes of malicious actors. Increased computational capacity in UAS translates to increased capabilities in a number of areas to include obstacle avoidance, maneuverability and real-time data analysis. AI also reduces the reliance on UAS on person-in-the-loop solutions that could improve criminal actors’ ability to avoid detection.

Though there was observed reductions overseas in the reported use of DJI products for tactical small UAS operations, DJI remains the standard by which all other UAS grade themselves. Features first demonstrated by DJI will inevitably be reverse engineered and adopted to other platforms, sometimes for nefarious purposes.

Protection

Through the CTTSO, Red Six has the opportunity to participate in a number of training exercises which feature counter UAS systems capable of Detection, Tracking and Identification, as well as mitigation, of small UAS. In these exercises, Red Six provided threat emulation to provide the training participants with a realistic adversary simulation. Also participating in these events were the counter UAS systems described, as follows:

MADS-K, ELTA North America (USA), https://www.eltanorthamerica.com: The MADS-K (Man-Portable Anti-Drone System – Kit) is a modular, man-portable, ground-target and counter small UAS radar detection system with an EO/IR camera and jammer that operates in 360-degrees of azimuth and allows for ground and aerial target identification at significant ranges. It is designed to be simple to train, operate, and maintain. The MADS-K uses the proven MARS-K Radar which provides the operator with 360-degrees of coverage at a range of 150 meters out to 14 km. The radar has a 4 sec. scan rate and is able to track up to 100 targets. The Mini-Pop EO/IR camera is designed specifically for UAV detection. The camera’s detection range for humans is 4 km. and for vehicles is 8 km. The omnidirectional Jammer/ESM effects UAVs using the ISM band at ranges of 3 to 5 km.

Smash 2000, Smart Shooter (USA), https://www.smart-shooter.com: The Smash 2000 is a low-cost kinetic sighting device which attaches to a weapon and has built-in targeting algorithms that can track and accurately hit targets with the first shot, including moving and aerial ones. In an active situation, the Smash 2000 user selects and locks on a target. When the user squeezes the trigger, the system use in calculates the target’s movement and predicts its next location using advanced image processing algorithms. Smash 2000 prevents the bullet from being fired until the target is precisely in its crosshairs. This improves accuracy, reduces the ammunition expenditure rate, and lessens the risk of collateral damage.

EnforceAir ™, D-Fend Solutions AD, Ltd. (Israel), https://www.d-fendsolutions.com: EnforceAir is an autonomous, end-to-end counter small UAS solution, which via electronic means impacts rogue drones and allows the operator to safely manage the drone. EnforceAir is designed for both urban and rural environments, urban environments are the most challenging environment. It is non-jamming, non-kinetic, and non-direct line of sight counter UAS solution. EnforceAir passively detects and alerts, locates and tracks, and identifies rogue UAS. EnforceAir can switch from passive mode to active mode to safely engage rogue drones.

CTTSO developed these capabilities with tactical operators from the military and law enforcement communities. These capabilities can be rapidly deployed by small tactical teams, is setup by one trained operator in a matter of minutes, and when deployed as a group provide long, mid, and short range organic counter UAS defense in depth.

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