back to article Brit firm unleashes drone-busting net cannon

As the world's skies darken with drones, a British firm reckons it's come up with the ultimate solution to the UAV flying menace: the mighty SkyWall100 handheld net-firing cannon. According to OpenWorks Engineering, SkyWall is "a combination of a compressed gas powered smart launcher and an intelligent programmable projectile …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fire control system integration

    Will it come with a powered turret and IoT so I can roof mount it and bring down drones from my phone? If not, it isn't sufficiently future proof.

    1. Jim 43

      Re: Fire control system integration

      You're going to need an IoT Architect for this and I hear they're recently become terribly expensive.

      1. chivo243 Silver badge

        Re: Fire control system integration

        "I hear they're recently become terribly expensive."

        I hear he's recently become terribly expensive. I think there is only one guy who does it... That's why IoT really sucks.

    2. macjules

      Re: Fire control system integration

      But when we say 'drone' are we talking about Reapers, as the size of that thing would suggest it is intended to target, or are we talking about a palm-sized, iPhone-controlled drone that's hovering slightly over the wall of Number 10 Downing Street trying to catch pictures of Samantha Cameron in the bath?

  2. Blank-Reg
    Thumb Up

    [applause] Nice one OpenWorks. Awaiting turret mounting for Land Rover accessory for rapid deployment...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I call fake...

    The bit at back end of it looks like a plastic waterproof container painted black rather than a pressure vessel... Or maybe it's just a cheap way of protecting the electronics from the elements?

    1. JayB

      Re: I call fake...

      Looks like a pretty bog standard design of gas bottle to me.

      How long before some "genius" decides to deploy a conductive mesh net with a power source. Bet the Police would love that for dealing with disobedient souls!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I call fake...

        I work close to the company location. I'm very suspicious it's a fake too.

      2. GreenJimll

        Re: I call fake...

        I guess it depends if the disobedient souls get it first?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Crikey

    what kind of license do you need to operate one of those? surely it doesn't fall within the definition of an air rifle...?

    And what happens when some eejit decides to launch one of those things in the vicinity of a light aircraft??

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Crikey

      surely it doesn't fall within the definition of an air rifle...?

      Actually - it does. You do not need any frigging license to own it. Where can I buy the 300 version before they scramble to fix the licensing regime? It will look grand on top of my truck :)

      1. AMBxx Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: Crikey

        You sure the power is low enough for it to qualify? In the UK at least, you can only have a certain pressure before you need a licence.

        I still think it would look cool mounted on my Defender though.

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon

          Re: Crikey

          If you generate more than 12lbs per square inch at the muzzle you need a firearms license (I think)

          1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

            Re: Crikey

            Non licenced air weapon limited to under 12 ft lb muzzle energy in UK.

          2. Pedigree-Pete

            In or out of the UK.

            Is "airside" of any airport in the UK actually in the UK & therefore subject to UK gun law, air powered or otherwise?

          3. Voland's right hand Silver badge

            Re: Crikey

            If you generate more than 12lbs per square inch

            The muzzle on this is HUGE. There is no way in hell the puny compressed air tank attached to it can generate 12lbs per square inch (approx 1 bar) across an area with a diameter of a shoulder launched missile and more than a meter and a half in length So as far as the current regs go (and are literally interpreted) this is most likely an "airsoft"

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

    i don't know, £100 solution to a £10 problem.

    1. Avatar of They
      Thumb Up

      Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

      £100 to take out a £10 drone that could assuming people are stupid cause a £100 million plane wreck. All we need is one nutter hitting a BA flight and suddenly £100 is a deal killer.

      Still I do prefer the Netherlands idea of eagles in airports on patrol.

      I like the idea of the cannon, perimeter mounted turrets with kill zones. Not so sure on the uniform. I can see a H&S yellow hi-vis jobs worth instead of spec ops or worse Ryan air sponsored simpletons thinking they are important.

      1. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

        The problem with the eagle idea is that several actual experts on bird of prey have come forward to say that it is a monumentally stupid idea and these birds are completely unsuited for this job as they become frustrated when they can't actually catch a drone every now and then. (And could go after anything else that moves.)

        1. Bob Wheeler
          Coat

          Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

          Wny not train the eagles to carry these.......

          Just saying :)

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

        "Not so sure on the uniform. I can see a H&S yellow hi-vis jobs worth instead of spec ops or worse Ryan air sponsored simpletons thinking they are important."

        I wonder if the cool yellow anti-flash protective glasses favoured by Health & Safety managed shooters are included or necessary?

      3. Alan Brown Silver badge

        Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

        "£100 to take out a £10 drone"

        or in other words, how would it cope with more than one drone?

    2. VinceH

      Re: What happened to all the Eagles with frickin laser beams on their heads?

      The sharks took out an injunction.

  6. Dan Wilkie

    It would most likely fall under a the definition of a prohibited firearm, under the same category as any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing.

    Or one of the many other prohibited categories.

    100m doesn't seem a particularly useful range though :\

    1. Jagged

      It may be out of date, but I think the firearms definition is pretty specific. I used to sell "boat bits" and most flare guns didn't require a firearms licence but we sold one which did, that had a percussion cap mechanism.

      Then there's the gas gun laws (paint ball etc) which is specifically mentioned in the firearms definition, that has a pounds per square inch definition, I believe. Which might be why this doesn't have such a great range.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        An air rifle max is 12 ft/Ib and this thing must be a lot more powerful than that to chuck that projectile for that distance. It's a chunky thing to start with, then the net comes out and becomes a low energy / high drag projectile so to get it to fly another 50 metres I would guess would need to quadruple the power. If the projectile is smart and delays opening until it is close to the target then it might go a bit further.

        1. Dan Wilkie

          I can't remember what happens to single action air weapons over the poundage limit. Straight prohibited I think.

          I know from the low tier (airsoft stuff) if it's over the power limit it becomes a high power air rifle (if it's single action) or a section 5 firearm if it's automatic.

          Re the ball launcher thing, that's different as I believe there are exceptions for certain types of projectile (and more than likely a power limit though I'm not certain on that one).

          The same applies to the flare gun, it doesn't have to be explosive powered to qualify as a firearm (see the previous Airsoft example). I think it's probably the fact it uses percussion caps (which would be ammunition) which require the license, which is why it's different to the others.

          IANAL...

          1. frank ly

            "... single action air weapons over the poundage limit."

            If I remember, they needed a firearms license and were only intended for people who killed 'vermin' in a professional capacity. The law may have changed since I Iast had an air rifle.

            The thing about the energy limit (13 ft.lb as I remember) was that it was formulated according to how much range/damage-potential it could give to an air gun pellet. This thing would/should have totally different considerations as to how much damage it could cause if misused.

            1. werdsmith Silver badge

              Illicit swapping out of legal springs for stiffer ones was quite the standard practice once.

              1. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

                But if you lengthened it by as much as a valve spring from a Morris Minor the scrawny metal pin holding the back end in soon broke

            2. Simon_E

              12 foot-pounds for rifles, 6 for pistols, and apocryphally, that restriction was brought in to protect our existing airgun manufacturers from the effects of all those people wanting to import better and more powerful/efficient German-made ones, back in the early to mid eighteen hundreds.

              (He says, unable to actually confirm that through google at the time of writing...)

              1. Eddy Ito

                How do they reconcile 12 ft-lbs when a good cricket bowler or baseball pitcher can break 90 ft-lbs without too much trouble and a tennis ball machine will go over 30 ft-lbs?

    2. rh587

      "It would most likely fall under a the definition of a prohibited firearm, under the same category as any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing."

      Eh, no more so than one of these.

      One presumes these will not be mail-order and the company will sell it along with training to genuine buyers, in which case the Police would be unlikely to take too great an interest.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Will the cannon turret do seagulls? Asking for a friend.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      A friend you say? (off-topic)

      That's what you say, a friend ...

      I hate the ghastly things but won't go as far as doing them up, even saved one which got snagged in brambles.

      Tried to peck me in lieu of payment.

      Anyway, about that computer controlled gun turret ...

    2. Darryl

      Meh, seagulls. Now if your friend was asking about magpies...

      1. Natalie Gritpants

        Meh, magpies

        My friend wants one for microlights.

  8. Antonymous Coward
    Terminator

    A ruse by another name...

    Copyright problems with "SkyNet"?

  9. rh587

    The parachute seems like it would just add to the risk of the entrapped drone floating with the wind - potentially across the runway and towards aircraft awaiting clearance to go (with their engines spinning). On a windy airfield, there seems to be a lot of scope for it to drift some way from it's actual snaring point.

    Surely better to dispense with the 'chute and let it fall out of the sky like a brick - presumably the owner isn't getting it back so it's final "landed" condition is not relevant?

    1. imanidiot Silver badge

      It's generally frowned upon to design something that'll make something drop out of the sky like a brick, possible overhead of people. If this thing is used at an airfield traffic will have been shut down and/or diverted. If it's THAT close to a waiting aircraft there is a good chance it wouldn't be used in the first place as a miss would then lead to a net and projectile flying into said aircraft.

      Even with the chute the drone drops fairly rapidly so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

    2. Rol

      Could be tethered to the gun and wound in?

      100metres of 20lb fishing line, what, a couple of grammes

      1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

        100metres of 20lb fishing line, what, a couple of grammes

        And a hell of a drag to unwind it.

        1. Rol

          I don't know? I can cast about 100m or so using nothing other than my right arm, I don't see how a powered projectile would find the same task any more difficult.

  10. Martin 47

    What's wrong with using a shotgun, especially as most airports already have a bloke driving around with one in his truck

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Perhaps a chance of misidentifying it and accidentally killing an endangered bird...

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        "Perhaps a chance of misidentifying it and accidentally killing an endangered bird..."

        Considering that birds is why the bloke is there with the shotgun in the first place, there's a reasonable expectation that he is already aware of that situation.

        1. Charles 9

          Just because there's a reasonable expectation of such doesn't mean it won't occur anyway.

  11. Anonymous Custard
    Joke

    Iron Ass?

    "entanglement with "ECM jamming".

    Can you mount it on a Cobra 3 to take down incoming hard-heads?

  12. Desk Jockey

    Range

    100m of range seems rather irrelevant to me. Who gives a crap about drones at 100m until they are practically over a runway? It is those 500-2000ft ones that really need to be shot down. Police marksman in a helicopter time? Or a really big drone capable of carrying this thing?

    I can see the police wanting to use this to bag a perp on the ground though...

    1. imanidiot Silver badge
      Terminator

      Re: Range

      hunter/killer drones ofcourse

      --> Because we all know where this all leads -->

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