China trials first anti-drone system at Guangzhou airport

Staff members at a monitor center show how the anti-drone system works at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangdong Province, Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo: China News Service/Guo Jun)

(ECNS) -- A detection and defense system against unmanned aerial vehicles has been put into trail operation at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, local authorities announced on Thursday.

With a "detective early warning system" and "drone interference system", it is said to be the first system designed against illegal drones at a Chinese airport.

The Cangqin system, installed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong Province, can monitor a low-altitude airspace 8 km in diameter.

It can locate a drone 3 seconds after it becomes operative within the supervised range.

Once detecting a suspicious drone, information related to its position, model, and real-time coordinates will be sent to the monitoring center. The interference system will immediately force the drone to touch down or fly back by scrambling the its remote-controlling signals.

The system will not influence airport equipment and can work in all weather conditions both day and night.

China has witnessed rapid growth in drone sales in recent years. However, illegal flying of drones has affected flights and raised safety concerns.

In April, several drones illegally flew around Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, forcing up to 100 flights to land at alternative airports.

Meanwhile, some drones are used to peep into military facilities as they are harder to detect and could enter regions with complex terrain, said experts, calling on regulators to fully utilize anti-drone technology to enhance the safety of civil aviation and protect military facilities.