Gatwick and Heathrow Airports ‘order military standard anti-…

Gatwick and Heathrow Airports have reportedly ordered military-grade anti-drone defences worth “several million pounds”.

It comes after drones caused three days of disruption at Gatwick last month.

Transport minister Chris Grayling met police, aviation and defence chiefs on Thursday to discuss the issue, The Times reported.

The technology is said to include the Israeli-designed Drone Dome system. The airports did not immediately comment.

Drone sightings caused chaos at Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest airport, disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people in the run-up to Christmas.

The incident revealed a vulnerability that is being scrutinised by security forces and airport operators worldwide.

The military was drafted in to deploy specialist equipment, enabling authorities to reassure the airport that it was safe for planes to take off and land.

Security minister Ben Wallace said last month Britain’s security forces had detection systems that could be deployed throughout the country to combat the threat of drones.

Reporting by Reuters.